Kuro no Maou

"Gurwaaaaaaa!!"

The cry of the Apostle resounds in purgatory.

Direct hit. The 'decapitation' of his flank forces him to bleed. However, it is not as deep as the intestines.

It's still hard. Even a direct strike would do just as much damage.

I had already hit my Weapon Arte several times, but I was still avoiding fatal injuries. Still, the wounds were steadily being stacked up.

The Twelfth Apostle, Mariabelle, is now full of life.

By falling into Fiona's dimensional magic (World Dimension) "Purgatory Barrier (Inferno Fall)", it was completely tilted to this side. The battle is almost sealed for us.

Mariabelle was in a bit of a hurry to wield her power and summon the Big Eyeball and Blade Spirit Beast in a row. If I had used it, I would have been in a state of war for five minutes, or even gotten back to his superiority.

But that didn't happen. With so much anxiety about the reversal of the situation, the continuous summoning of the spirit beast by pressing force only exposed a deadly gap, and he immediately fell into the [Purgatory Barrier (Inferno Fall)].

There were no more eyeballs and feathered spirit beasts that I had to call out.

Currently, Maria Bell can be used to fix two things: a metal slime that acts as a shifting defense in place of her left arm, and a [Black and White Snake (Climb Eater)] that almost nullifies the black magic of Sariel, and she can do something about a regular summoning beast.

Rather than a spirit beast, there were only three summon beasts. From the earliest days to the point where he could not be called a special power as an apostle, his abilities were greatly diminished.

Only the magic power was left. I could get infinite white magic power, so I would never run out of it. However, your body, your head, or your spiritual strength won't follow you.

Even if there was infinite magic power, fatigue would build up in its exercise. Not to mention, if you are cornered by an overwhelming disadvantage like now, you will be deprived of calm with impatience and fear.

If you are not calm, you cannot accurately calculate the magic formula. Fear breaks your heart.

At the very least, if you are a battle-scarred messenger who has dived through death battles like Sarriel's, you may have managed to overcome such adversity and find a chance to win the battle.

But, Mariabelle, how deadly have you been? I've fought with all my might. I lost my limbs, but I never went to pick up a win to survive.

The youngest, least experienced and, above all, the sweetest of the apostles.

He is still the weakest of the apostles. That's why I'm defeating you. Definitely scrape it from where it scrapes.

"Let's fold him up, he's at his limit."

The bottom of the twelfth Apostle Mariabel was already visible.

In his eyes, he just sees the fear of being cornered. Whatever it takes to win, even if you die, you'll take your enemies' throats with you--you 've lost your will to fight.

It would be a big deal if this was an act of caution. If that's the case, we'll have to push them off.

Oaah!!

Gang! With a gruesome sound, he pounded the two blows of "Decapitate" and "Eat Evil." Mariabelle doesn't take a direct hit, but the forceful attack on her saber breaks her posture.

I realized my disadvantage, and I managed to kick the ground back in a collapsed posture. You're running away from my distance.

"---- 'Shock Thrust (Full Charge Thrust)'"

Sarriel's advanced Weapon Artefacts attack Maria Bell.

Before long, he defended himself against the Liquid Metal Slime, but he couldn't read Sarriel's intentions from the most defensive left side.

The thick metal armor and transformed slime and the tip of the "Rebel Crossbow Spear (Liberation Cross)" collide head on. Pure Physical Attack pierces the metal.

However, the slime shield received in its perfect form barely prevented the spear from sparking. It is probably because the water droplets were deformed into a bouncing shape, which dispersed the received power.

So far, it's no different from the offensive defenses we've had. But Sariel fought harder here to keep faithful to what I said about "folding."

"----" "Set Throughout" "

It was a real blow.

Even though I was not taught by Roark, the ancient jujitsu technique that I had learned exploded into a large slime.

The small palm hit the deviated part on the right obliquely, not directly in front of the slime.

And that's what turns it into a deadly blow.

Oh my God, the core!

It has a nucleus (core), whatever its nature, and whatever its slime. The only absolute central organ that controls the liquid body.

This metal slime is not translucent jelly-like flesh, so the location of the weak point core is not visible. It is simple, but it can also be called an effective countermeasure against weakness.

Conversely, as long as we know where the core is, we can defeat it. That's why Sarriel kept looking for the core position, daring to keep the slime from attacking.

It seems that his core has been constantly moving inside his body to a position where it can't hit, but Sariel has captured it well. How on earth did you capture it? I only figured it out somehow.

Somehow complementing the core perfectly, Sarriel chose the "complete set" as his technique to ensure that even if it was blocked by hard liquid metal, it would definitely deliver power.

The slime that kept protecting Maria Bell so tough collapsed as if the liquid metal had turned into mud.

"But, this is it!"

You're going to say you caught Sarriel.

Certainly, [Black and White Snake (Climb Eater)] would be highly effective against Sarriel, who only possesses black magic power. I tasted it with myself, I'm sure of it.

If we can steal the magic power quickly, we can neutralize it without killing it, so as a Mariabelle, it would be best to use it as a countermeasure against Sariel.

The White Great Serpent strips his fangs towards Sarriel, who spends all his energy destroying the Slime and does not consider evasion or defense afterwards.

"----" Sonic Els Rush ""

The head of the [Black and White Snake (Climb Eater)] flying toward Sarriel's white neck.

Celis, who was suddenly approaching from the back, flashed with a wind-induced martial arts. I brilliantly slashed the [Black and White Snake (Climb Eater)] with a pinpoint.

"What the hell is this guy!?"

She turned around in a hurry, but Celice had already turned her back and backed away.

I won't force you to attack. She only needs to go through with the support.

Even eliminating Mariabelle's Summon Beast was the limit line she wanted.

[Black and White Snake (Climb Eater)] has a special drain ability against black magic. Half-baked black magic is quickly disabled, and the Weapon Artefact is similarly reduced in power.

However, there was nothing else that could be done. Should I say it was the peaky type of specialization? The drain didn't work against ordinary class magic.

Therefore, against normal attack magic and physical attacks, [Climb Eater] only has the durability as a giant snake as it looks. It couldn't withstand a blow from an advanced Weapon Technique with a sharp wind attribute.

"C 'mon, no good, it's not going to stay like this."

Mariabelle was in a hurry to lose the two Summon Monsters that she needed to protect.

Without chasing Celis or aiming at Sariel, he retreated to escape further and waved his saber.

"Protect me!"

They were exposed to our intense onslaught and chose a defensive Summon Monster.

Giant tortoises and rock giants shine in white.

The grizzly turtle is a large land turtle that resembles a rock turtle that was a gimmick boss that just blocked the entrance and did not move in the second tier of Carlamara. Perhaps under the influence of white magic, the armor is formed of pale crystals rather than rusty boulders, and the limbs and neck are also colored with sparkling crusts like gemstones, which look divine.

Meanwhile, the Boulder Soldier is a gray boulder that forms a humanoid statue. If it was a golem based on the Earth Spirit (Teta Elemental), the lava would circulate around the body like blood and shine orange, but instead, it was filled with white magic power, and white light lines were spread all over the body.

Mariabelle would like to buy them some time and get back in shape.

Giant Tortoise and Rock Giant were already about to unleash their powerful defensive magic while emitting a pale glow.

But it's too late.

"---- 'Flame Dragon Cannon (Volga Flare)'"

The raging flaming dragon strips its fangs.

The lava blowing up like a geyser breaking the earth of purgatory assaulted the two bodies in the shape of a dragon.

With a long body like a big serpent, he wrapped around the boulder soldier, opened his mouth and grabbed the spirit turtle.

"Gugogogogogogogo!"

Quo-o-o-on!

The Rock Giant was wrapped around a flaming dragon with a magma body, and his whole body was melting out, but he was violently twisted to resist. The giant tortoise that was bitten by the armor was also furious as it raised its roar and tried to crack it.

"Mmm, it's hard on the boulder." I can't help it, so please do it somewhere. "

Fiona waves [Warpurgis] in her hand.

Then, the flame dragon moved out as if it was linked to it. I captured two Summon Beasts in my body and mouth.

"Ahh!?"

Mariabelle shouted, but nothing happened.

The two Summon Monsters, boasting tough giants, were dragged away from Maria Bell by the Fire Dragon.

When the flame dragon's body swung in an arc, it threw the giant tortoise and the rock giant away. Zun!! Flaming Dragon charged toward it again as it roared and sounded the ground hundreds of meters away.

After that, only Mariabelle lost her two big shields.

I finally captured it ---- Gravity Barrier Gravity Field

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?

Mariabelle was stripped of her shield by Fiona's power technique, and for a moment Celis was restrained in a daze.

Mariabelle was trapped in a dark purple shining cage of gravity, unexpectedly kneeling on one knee.

With the power of the Apostle, there will be power against the gravity of Celice, but when you don't expect to come, you will be overweight. The feeling of being crushed by doubled gravity is not available in normal combat experience. I am not used to it, so I am delayed in dealing with it in a reflective manner.

And now it's a deadly time to divide the fate of Mariabelle.

That's it----

The [Decapitate] was already loaded with the power to activate the Weapon Skill.

Mariabelle was sitting on her knees and covered in gaps. I didn't let go of the saber, but I couldn't even hold my guard in that position.

Above all, the eyes of Mariabelle, who was looking at me from before her eyes, were stained with despair, and she accepted her own defeat.

"---- 'Darkness'"

The blade of the curse was supposed to break Maria Bell's head.

You can't even read the distance with a person full of gaps like this. It is absolutely impossible not to reach this close distance by wielding the "decapitation" that boasts a reach that can be called a great sword.

But when I released [Darkness], I couldn't feel anything.

It was the dazzling white glow that jumped in before I knew why.

With this glow, and the feeling of just cutting through the sky, my head instantly derived an answer from the rule of thumb.

"This is... [Cathedral Barrier (Sanctuary)]"

The strongest barrier of colorless transparency was unfolding to envelop Mariabelle.

Take a trump card like this ———— No, no. Mariabelle understood that she was stuck, and she gave up completely. And even now, he's staring at me with a stunned expression like I don't know what happened.

Therefore, this is not the power of Maria Bell.

"No way, this is the miracle of the Holy Grail!!"

At some point, the cup was floating on Mariabelle's chest with a pale glow.

A dull, golden metal cup with no metamorphosis.

But judging by the glory of it, and by the phenomenon that is now in front of us, I can only think that the Holy Grail offered a hand of salvation in the crisis of the Twelfth Apostle by the power of miracles.

Is this the legendary relic of the crucifixion, the Chalice of the Pure Blood of the Virgin Aria?

"Ah!?"

In an instant, the Holy Grail shattered with an intense glow like a flash.

It was a sparkling white shiny fragment that scattered around Maria Bell.

At that moment, I saw a danger in the sign of the exploding white magic power and flew back in a reflex.

Shortly thereafter, the scope of the "Cathedral Barrier (Sanctuary)" expanding to protect Mariabelle rapidly widened to prove that my guess was correct. The barrier expanded to a radius of about 10 meters in an instant.

However, it was not the range but the height that stretched the most.

Baggins!!

The sound of hard metal shattering overhead.

The extended "Cathedral Barrier (Sanctuary)" stretched high into the sky as a huge pillar of light protruded, creating a crack several hundred meters above it.

I don't know how high this purgatory sky is. However, the pillar of the "Cathedral Barrier (Sanctuary)" is broken off at a lower position than the dark clouds floating in the terrible red and black sky.

It cracks the space. A phenomenon that can only be described as such occurred in the head.

"This is bad, Mr. Chrono." My "Purgatory Barrier" (Inferno Fall) will be broken. "

"Oh, shit, that's what I'm talking about..."

Inadvertently vomit badly.

While driving so far so perfectly, the Holy Grail is miraculously reversed... damn it, I've licked it everywhere!

Irrationally, anger bursts out. However, the "Cathedral Barrier (Sanctuary)" cannot be broken by attacking with rage.

The chalice doesn't seem to give us that much time, though we could potentially destroy it by hammering the maximum firepower of all of us here at the same time.

"Damn, wait!!"

Mariabel floats up inside the white shining "Cathedral Barrier (Sanctuary)".

With a confused expression that I didn't know what had happened, I automatically climbed inside the pillar of light and disappeared to the other side of the crack that cracked the purgatory sky.

What happened to Maria Bell?

"It looks like you've escaped my purgatory and returned to your normal space." We're the only ones in here anymore. ”

I thought I was trapped in Fiona's [Purgatory Barrier (Inferno Fall)], but if I was able to escape this way... I could have sealed my escape by triggering a transfer like Sariel did, but this time I would have broken it with my power skills.

Fortunately, they didn't have the power to destroy all of Purgatory's boundaries. After Mariabel disappeared, the sky closed as if nothing had happened, and the crack only reflected the color of the unchanging red sky.

There was no sign of him, no sign of the [Cathedral Barrier (Sanctuary)] shining, no sign of him anywhere.

"Is that the power of the Holy Grail?" I wish I could just activate the [Cathedral Barrier (Sanctuary)] and defend myself... but I can't help myself if I'm fully healed and my Awakening is strengthened. "

"It's a miracle of God." No matter what happens, it's not surprising. "

"No, it's not a miracle."

Sarriel held his mouth shut as he was sure.

"What do you mean?"

"As you can see, the cup was shattered. Even if the chalice performs a miracle, it can't be broken and consumed.”

"... you mean it's fake?"

“Yes, perhaps. By letting Maria Bell have the fake, she concealed her true whereabouts.”

The public discourse that Mariabelle in Avalon holds the Holy Grail and guards it is false information to conceal it.

Then, where is the real chalice?

It's a secret stash, isn't it? Or is it another apostle, Mass, Ai, or Nero? Or Gregorius, the mastermind of the Aryan monks, or Cardinal Arth, the general commander of the Crucifixion.

No, I don't care where the real thing is, it's not here right now.

"Even if it was a fake, I activated the" Shrine Barrier (Sanctuary) "and ran away after breaking the purgatory." What kind of magic tool (artifact) is that? "

"I felt that the fake cup contained a tremendous amount of white magic power. It is presumed that there is a function that gives Mariabelle great power and enhances her.”

It's not just a fake, but an amulet to help you when you pinch it, right?

It would be too much for the amulet.

Helping an apostle in a dilemma is not a long way off. Even if it wasn't a real chalice, it could be said to have exerted tremendous power. That's a fine tactical weapon.

If he's out there, let's hurry back.

”Hah... I just have a bad feeling about it, though”

Celice is right, even if we don't talk anymore here, we won't be able to find out.

The Holy Grail was a fake, and one of the original objectives of the operation was crushed, but we cannot let it escape to the Twelfth Apostle, Maria Bell.

Whether protected by the "Shrine Barrier (Sanctuary)" or fortified by a false cup, he will definitely be defeated here.

Well then, let's go back----

Fiona lifts the purgatory barrier (Inferno Fall).

Your vision dims and you come back to your world immediately.

The sun had already set and the capital, Avalon, was surrounded by darkness at night, but it was strangely bright.

It's as bright as the day, as white light shines through the city as if it were shining through all the darkness of the night.

In the shine, countless white things dance like powder snow.

It's a pale, glowing white feather.

The white feathers that inadvertently remind me of Nell, however, I soon realized that she was an abomination to me.

We all looked up at the bright dark sky.

Just above the Avalon Royal Castle. There he is.

Mariabelle is wrapped in the "Cathedral Barrier (Sanctuary)" that shines like a white cocoon.

And behind it, a giant -- too giant, angel -- radiates a divine glow.