“Allow me to take over the role of enchanting.”
A voice spoke from behind them. Turning around, Diablo saw a group of regional knights and sorcerers approaching. The party swiftly parted to the sides, revealing a beautiful woman standing there with a smile and a long staff in hand.
“It has been a long time since we last met, Diablo.”
“Celes?!”
Some of the mages furrowed their brows at Diablo referring to her by a nickname.
“I’ve received a report on the situation.” Galford was standing at her side. “Leave this place to us... The races are still at risk. If that fake Demon Lord’s castle isn’t stopped, we will have all but lost.”
“You talk a big game, Galford...but will you really be of help here?”
“Would you care to test me?” Galford’s menacing aura hadn’t diminished in the slightest.
His lost arm was back to normal now. Despite being so grievously wounded, he was back in action in less than half a day! This was the strength of an experienced war hero.
“Diablo,” Celes cut into their conversation.
“Hm?”
“I will...do my best.”
“Ah, yes, hmm... Yes, help these weaklings live through this.”
Her calm, sluggish words seemed to pacify the tense atmosphere. In this situation, that was both good and bad.
“Please, Diablo...” Celes said imploringly. “You have to save Rem!”
“Are you serious? Didn’t Rem try to kill you?”
“Rem would never do that seriously. That was the Demon Overlord. That girl is a responsible, persistent...lonesome child. I’ve always wanted to see her be set free, in the truest sense of the word.”
Despite being a sorcerer, Celes’s words felt like a prayer directed at God. But that went without saying.
Diablo pulled out his staff and said, “Leave everything to me.”
Chapter 5: Going All Out
Taking to the skies with his flight magic, Diablo approached the Demon Lord’s castle from above. Black serpents slithered out of the the castle’s windows, writhing as they moved. Diablo thought Modinaram was inviting him inside, given it had opened the gates for him, but it seemed things weren’t going to be quite so easy. The serpents lashed out at him, one after the other.
“Do not get in my way! Explosion!” Diablo unleashed his magic.
Judging from their fight with the Fallen, Diablo knew the serpents’ individual power levels. Each serpent was roughly the strength of a large-type Fallen, so while low level magic wouldn’t defeat them, it would still allow him to force an opening. Firing a powerful spell would wipe them out with one hit, but it would also leave him open. When attacked from all directions at once, it was essential for Diablo to keep dodging and only fire the most minimal amount of attacks necessary to advance.
His desire to save Rem was strong. Everyone else encouraged him, and emotions seethed in his chest. But while he was charging full force, Diablo’s mind was rapidly growing colder. He’d kept track of the serpents’ vigorous writhing and fired spells at the exact, most optimal angles. Sometimes circumventing them, sometimes attacking them forcefully...
“I’m through!”
Diablo burst through the web of black serpents, as if he’d disentangled them, and found himself in front of what remained of Modinaram: the false Demon Lord’s castle. A single, massive black serpent stood in his way, as if that itself were the gate. It was large enough to swallow not just someone of the races, but even a giant whole. Its mouth was lined with blade-like fangs.
Gaaaaaah!
“I’ll blow you to dust! Flare Burst!”
Diablo swung his staff, the Tonnerre Empereur. A sequence of explosions emanated from within the black serpent’s body, blowing it up from within. Just like the Fallen, the serpent was reduced to particles of light and disappeared.
It was fairly strong...
Rose and Klem could probably beat it easily, as could Laminitus, but it was probably too much of a burden for Shera and Edelgard to fight one-on-one. He couldn’t judge when it came to Sylvie, though, and wasn’t sure about Galford, either, since that governor had only just recovered from severe injuries. If the soldiers and adventurers were to fight it, Diablo could only see them suffering heavy casualties. He had to hurry and stop Modinaram before this Demon Lord’s castle made contact with Faltra.
He passed through the open gates and stepped inside the false Demon Lord’s castle. The air felt thick, with a stench reminiscent of an animal’s breath. This castle was what remained of Modinaram, which meant Diablo was essentially traveling inside its body.
“Light!” He cast an illuminating spell a few steps in. The surroundings lit up, revealing a perfectly level corridor leading straight ahead. The cold walls were covered by curtains, but there couldn’t have been windows here, which meant they were hiding something.
The curtains stirred.
Is the wind blowing?
That couldn’t be...
As the curtains flapped away, a group of rhinoceros beetles, larger than adult men, lunged out from them. Diablo fired a spell instinctively, in what bordered on reflex. His habit of clicking a shortcut key whenever he was surprised manifested in this world as part of his incantation.
“Explosion!”
The beetles were blown away, disappearing into particles of light.
It’s keeping magical beasts inside itself...?
If this were a normal dungeon, he’d have kept the enemies pinned down with magic as he progressed. But Diablo advanced carefully even as he hurried, so as to not involve Rem in his attack.
He kicked the door at the end of the corridor open, revealing an open space. A shadow stirred in its depths.
“Light!” Diablo illuminated the room with his light magic.
“Grrr...”
Before him stood a monster with a lion’s head and torso, eagle wings, and a snake for a tail.
“A chimera.” Diablo clicked his tongue. “He left an annoying monster here...”
This monster had a magic nullification barrier, and had impressive resistance to physical attacks as well. It was the type of monster Diablo wanted to avoid fighting wherever possible. But having it chase him around would only complicate things further.
“Hmph... So be it.” Diablo changed the Tonnerre Empereur to sword form. “I’ve trained as a warrior but haven’t put it to use in real combat yet. This is a good chance to test that.”
He was short on time, so he’d unleash his first attack at full force. The chimera roared and lunged at him as Diablo took position with his magic sword.
“Heat Sonic!”
He unleashed an eighty-strike combo martial art right off the bat, which was doubled by seven by the effect of his sword. Even the sturdy chimera was reduced to particles of light the moment the strikes landed. Diablo gazed at the magic sword in his hands with surprise.
I didn’t think I’d beat a chimera this easily!
It was a monster that had troubled him countless times in Cross Reverie, but now...
That said, in exchange for such massive offensive power, his stamina was greatly diminished. Unlike MP, SP regenerated naturally on its own with time...
“Nng...”
He could hear the sound of dry footsteps approaching from afar. Diablo smirked wryly.
Makes sense. There were a ton of black serpents, too.
Several chimeras appeared to surround him.
“Grrr, grrr, grrrrrr...”
Diablo tightened his grip on his sword. “I’m in a hurry, so I don’t have time to toy around with you fools. Come at me at once! I’ll cut you all down to ribbons!”
†
Diablo was able to recover with HP and MP potions, but the accumulated exhaustion was making his limbs sluggish.
Me, of all people... Am I really losing focus in the middle of the last boss’s dungeon?!
Using his body was gradually straining his nerves. Unlike the game, his life really w
as on the line. He’d been forced to consecutively face powerful opponents one after the other, more so than ever before, and he could feel he was being worn down.
Another door swung open, as if beckoning him inside.
A trap?
Even if it were, he had to keep going. The room he entered was so tall he had to look up to find the ceiling. Contrasting with the narrow corridors, this room was overwhelmingly spacious, making Diablo wonder if he’d walked for so long that he’d found himself outside again.
The ceiling was dome-shaped, and at its center were crystals extended downward, upside down. They were luminescent and lit up the room greatly. Directly beneath the crystals was a pale blue throne. The chill in the air reached all the way to Diablo; it was a throne of ice.
“Rem.”
She was seated atop that throne of frost. The horns on her head, the wings at her back, and those blade-like claws were all gone now. She’d even returned to her normal outfit, the metallic Enslavement Collar gleaming on her neck.
Her gaze was fixed on Diablo. He was filled with relief to find her still alive, and called her name again.
“Rem.”
“...Diablo.” Her faintly colored lips moved.
He felt the urge to rush to her side, but the fact that there was nothing to get in his way was all the more concerning. It was like a mouse trap with Rem being the cheese for the mousey Diablo.
Rem didn’t budge. Of course she wouldn’t; he’d given her an order not to do so earlier. There was something he had to ask her before he rescinded that order.
“Where’s Modinaram?”
“...He’s no longer within me.”
Was it true? Rem wouldn’t lie, but if she were being manipulated by Modinaram she could say anything.
“...Leave me behind,” she said with a sunken voice.
At first he thought he’d misheard her.
“Wh-What are you saying, Rem? This is no time for jokes.”
“...It definitely isn’t a joke. I’m just...all too useless. I’m an adventurer, but all I ever do is cause you trouble.”
“Don’t be foolish. I merely act as I wish. I’ve never acted to save you. I am a Demon Lord! Do not presume to know the meaning behind my actions!”
Diablo spoke with grand haughtiness, but couldn’t know how much she truly understood.
“Uuugh...” Rem wailed. “I’m too useless... I owe Celes so much, yet I placed even her life at risk...”
“It was Celes who was the first to plead for me to bring you back safely. If you’ve anything to tell her, you will tell her yourself when we return to town.”
“Shera, too... Compared to her, I...”
“Stop spouting nonsense.” Rem and Shera were close enough to promise each other that they’d run a café together.
“B-But...” Rem wrung out her voice. “In the end, you chose her, didn’t you?”
“Chose her?!”
“You became king of the elves...and m-married Shera!”
He’d found himself inadvertently taking a step back. He didn’t think she’d say that in this place... But, no, it was probably exactly because this was the situation they were in that she said it. Should he take Rem back to town even if he had to drag her? Would that truly save her?
Diablo took a deep breath and swallowed. “Ah... Rem... I understand what it is you’re trying to say. But I will correct you on one point. I will save you, and it matters not how useful or useless you may be.”
She silently awaited his next words with a terrified expression. Diablo then took out a certain item from his pouch: a silver ring. Rem’s eyes widened. Diablo’s heart was beating faster than it had in any battle today.
“A-Accept...this. No, p-please... No, I am a Demon Lord, so...”
Giving a ring while role playing a Demon Lord was impossible, but at the same time, forcing it on her felt wrong, too. Diablo pondered deeply on it and eventually elected to give it to Rem, taking it especially for her from the treasure vault. The event he received it from in Cross Reverie was meant for couples, so he naturally got two rings from it.
“Aaah! Take it, Rem!”
“...I’m so happy.” Rem’s eyes filled with tears.
“Huh? You are?” Diablo was taken aback by how honestly pleased she seemed. He felt himself becoming increasingly awkward.
“...But...” Rem shook her head. “I can’t. I have no way of proving Modinaram isn’t within me anymore.”
“Hm.” Diablo understood the danger behind it, and it was more than just him at risk here. What if he were to take Rem back to Faltra, and she turned out to be Modinaram? Not just that one city, but the entirety of the races would be destroyed.
No, this is when I’m supposed to tell her, “I believe in you,” walk up to her, and put the ring on her finger.
He shook his head.
But isn’t that like a flag for a bad end where she pierces through my heart in the heat of the moment?!
Getting so drunk on romanticism he stopped thinking rationally and did something dangerous was unforgivable for a gamer! Diablo couldn’t walk into a potential death scene without any proof it was safe. Prioritizing one’s own emotions was shameful, especially when the lives of so many were riding on his shoulders. Defeating Modinaram, who’d become the Demon Lord’s castle, was just as important as saving Rem.
He considered it carefully. Modinaram could peer inside Rem’s memories, so it’d be able to answer any questions he posed. Any question it failed to answer would be one Rem didn’t know the answer to in the first place either.
“Prove the Demon Lord isn’t inside you.”
Isn’t that impossible? It’s a devil’s proof.
It was common sense in his old world that it wasn’t possible to prove something didn’t exist (though some people didn’t understand that, sadly...). Demanding her to prove her own innocence would be doing the same thing a corrupted paladin might.
Maybe he should touch Rem and see her magical energy? That was dangerous if Modinaram was still lurking within her. If it were to attack the moment Diablo came within arm’s reach, he wouldn’t be able to block it.
Was the one he was speaking to right now really Rem, or was she being manipulated by Modinaram?
Ah! Diablo then realized.
Beginning with a spark of inspiration, his thoughts went deeper, as if tracing along a thin thread. He considered it from several perspectives, but it all seemed right.
“If I prove your innocence, Rem, would you go back with me?”
“...If you’re able to... I doubt it’s possible,” she replied with a grim tone.
“Very well!” Diablo smirked and spread out his hands. “Rem Galleu...I permit you to call forth a summon!”
“...You’re not ordering me to summon one, but...permitting me to?” Her eyes widened.
“Indeed. I’ve partially lifted my prior order forbidding you to move. If you’re the true Rem, summon something. You won’t be able to if Modinaram is controlling you, since it uses elemental magic.”
When Rem attacked Celes under Modinaram’s influence, she’d used elemental magic. Elemental magic and summoning magic were similar in the sense that they couldn’t be cast against the caster’s will. Even if someone were to control another’s body and throw a summoning crystal, the summon wouldn’t appear.
Rem rose from the throne of ice.
“...Brilliant, Diablo.”
She took a summon crystal out of her pouch and held it in her hand.
“I order you in the name of Rem Galleu—come forth, Iron Golem!”
She shattered the azure crystal against the floor, a gust of wind bursting from its fragments. A white fog filled the air then cleared, revealing a clumsy-looking, dark gray statue standing at her side.
“...I am Rem.” She patted the Iron Golem affectionately.
“So it seems... I rescind all my orders!”
The binding effect of the Enslavement Collar was lifted. She slowly walked across the floor,
her expression laden with nervousness.
“...Diablo...can I truly believe your words from a moment ago?”
“I am the true Demon Lord! Never do I speak in jest!” There was no backing out now, no saying he was too nervous.
Rem stopped before him and presented her left hand. Her fingers trembled as she stood there wordlessly, probably due to how overcome with emotion she was. Diablo also couldn’t restrain his own embarrassment as he took her left hand in his, and slipped the wedding ring he held in his right hand onto her finger.
†
A loud bang! emitted from the ceiling. Diablo wrapped his arms around Rem in a panic and covered her. A black orb descended to them along with the rubble. It had a black goat’s head and a gorilla’s body.
“Diaaaaaabloooooo!” it roared.
“Modinaram!”
It was as Klem had speculated; the madness in its voice greatly overshadowed any hint of intelligence. Even knowing it would disappear by tomorrow, it still absorbed its Fallen and magical beast underlings and assumed the Demon Lord’s castle’s form.
“Gaaaaaahaaaaaa!”
“‘Madness,’ eh?” Diablo brandished his staff.
The situation was far from favorable, though. He’d predicted as such, but the Customize Bomb’s effect didn’t extend inside the castle, and after absorbing so much magical energy, Modinaram was close to full strength. If he got too close, even a grazing blow would be fatal. He also had to fight while protecting Rem...
Can I win this? No... I have to win this! If I don’t beat it here, this false Demon Lord’s castle won’t stop its rampage!
Diablo may have recovered his HP and MP, but the exhaustion still wore down on him, making him sleepy.
“You called yourself useless, did you not, Rem?”
How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 9 Page 13