The only reason they hadn’t agreed right away was because they’d felt guilty about abandoning Kouki just to save their own skins. They couldn’t bring themselves to sacrifice him like that.
The demon saw that they were beginning to waver, and offered a compromise.
“Hmm... If leaving your hero friend to die is the only thing you’re worried about... I don’t mind letting him live. Granted, I’ll have to put him on a much tighter leash than the rest of you. But if you want him to live, you all have to agree to defect.” Shizuku quietly clicked her tongue. She’d predicted the demon might try and make an offer like that. If she’d really planned on killing Kouki, she could have just killed him after defeating him. There was no reason to put on this whole show.
That meant the reason she’d kept him alive was so she could use him as a bargaining chip. Their first fight with the demon must have impressed her enough that she still wanted them for her army. The reason negotiations had broken down last time was because of Kouki’s self-righteous selfishness. Still, it was entirely possible the others weren’t so stubborn, which was why she’d devised this plan to win over everyone else.
First, she’d kept Kouki alive so the students wouldn’t hate her for killing one of their own. Second, she’d cornered the students into a choice between servitude and death. Third, she’d guided them into thinking submitting wouldn’t be such a terrible idea, as long as Kouki somehow got out alive. Finally, she’d promised to spare him as well, removing the final obstacle. This way, the students wouldn’t feel any guilt about choosing to surrender, making it seem like the only logical option.
This was despite the fact that there was no proof that she’d keep her end of the bargain. And it’d be too late for regrets if she killed Kouki after she’d collared all of them. That being said, it was still better than all of them dying here.
Even Shizuku, who had seen through the whole plot, was thinking agreeing would be for the best. As long as they could make it out of this situation alive, there was still some hope of saving Kouki.
It would be to the demon’s benefit for all of them to switch sides here too, so it was possible she’d try and treat them well. After all, losing Ehit’s chosen warriors would be a huge blow to the humans. Their best fighters would have defected. Their betrayal would undoubtedly leave the humans in despair. The demons could deal no greater blow to the humans.
Secondly, the students would be a huge boon to the demons’ fighting force. This particular demon’s primary mission was to clear the Great Orcus Labyrinth and obtain the godlike power said to be sleeping at its depths. So far, she’d easily been able to slaughter all the monsters she’d encountered, but there was no guarantee the lower floors would be as easy. She’d actually lost a good chunk of her fighting force to Kouki’s party, so she wanted to replenish her ranks. Recruiting Shizuku and the others was the most efficient way to do that.
And from her point of view, that was achievable with minimum effort. Her plan had gone without a hitch so far, and at this rate they would capitulate soon. Her lips twitched into a faint smile.
But then, at the last second, her carefully laid plans crumbled.
“G-Guys... don’t do it... Don’t listen to her...”
“Kouki!”
“Kouki-kun!”
“Amanogawa!”
Kouki had finally woken up. Everyone’s eyes were on him.
“She’s lying to you... She killed... Alan-san and the others... Don’t... trust her... She’ll just make you into slaves... She’ll make you fight against the humans... Run... Don’t mind... me... Just... run...” Kouki would rather die than let his friends agree to a deal that was so obviously a trap. Even if there wasn’t a sure chance of success, he hoped they would run instead. However, Hiyama shook his head.
“How many of us do you think will even get away? Wake up, Amanogawa! We’ve lost! It sucks that the knights died, but... well, they knew what they were getting into! Nothing we can do about it! Right now, we need to save as many of us as we can!” His voice echoed throughout the chamber. Hiyama couldn’t believe Kouki refused to bend, even when it was obvious all hope was lost. All he was thinking about was how to make it out alive. In his mind, it didn’t matter if everyone else died as long as he and Kaori survived. However, if they made a break for it now, it was likely they’d all die.
On the other hand, if he they defected to the demons, there was a chance he could show off his value and get appointed to a high-ranking post. If that happened, it was all but guaranteed that he could make Kaori his own. Especially if these “leashes” the demon was talking about could make someone do anything. As long as Kaori was his, he didn’t care if she still had any free will of her own or not. He saw her as little more than an object.
Once again, the students wavered. Hiyama’s words had swayed them, but they also respected Kouki.
Then, an unexpected voice chimed in with their opinion. It was a hoarse, barely audible voice, but everyone heard it clearly. It came from the person everyone respected the most in this world. The one they trusted to make accurate judgments no matter the situation. The one everyone saw as their role model. To many of them, his words were law. And this is what he said:
“Ngh... You kids... think only about how you’re going to survive! Do whatever it takes to stay alive! I’m sorry... for dragging you all into our war... The more time I spent with you all... the more I came to regret relying on you to solve our problems... so please, live to make it home... Don’t worry about us... From the start... this was our fight to fight!” Those weren’t the words of Heiligh’s knight commander anymore. They were the words of a single man, Meld Loggins. This was what he personally wished for, not what his job required of him. The reason he’d finally dropped his responsibilities was because he knew this was where he would die.
As the students all stared at him in shock, he squeezed out the last ounce of his strength and shook the Super Bulltaurs holding him off. His body began to glow with light and he threw himself at the demon.
“Demon... I’m taking you with me!”
“Wait, that’s... Heh, planning on blowing yourself up? How very gallant of you. I must say, I’m actually rather impressed.”
“Die!” The light grew to a blinding intensity. Meld looked just like Kouki did when he was using Limit Break, but upon closer inspection it became evident that the light was coming not from Meld’s body, but from the pendant hanging about his neck.
The demon recognized the pendant, and praised Meld for his resolve.
The jewel inside the pendant was known as “Loyalty’s Promise.” It was a magical item that created a powerful explosion in return for the caster’s life. All of the high-ranked members of the Heiligh Kingdom and Holy Church were aware of what it did. As the dark magic demons employed included spells that could read a portion of their target’s memories, all powerful people within the kingdom carried one around with them. If they were ever to be captured, they could use it to kill themselves, and hopefully their enemy, and keep the demons from learning any valuable information.
The students called out to Meld when they realized what he was trying to do. The demon, however, who was the target of the attack, seemed wholly unconcerned.
Meld’s jewel grew brighter and brighter. Just before it burst, the demon acted.
“Devour it whole, Absod.” And just like that, the light coming from Meld’s Loyalty’s Promise vanished.
“Wha—!? How on earth!?” Strictly speaking, it hadn’t vanished. It was being sucked away. He turned to the direction the light was going and saw a six-legged turtle with its maw open wide. That was what was sucking away Meld’s final attack.
It seemed that monster’s name was Absod. Its special magic was “Mana Absorption.” It could absorb the mana of other people’s spells and store it in its shell. However, it couldn’t absorb multiple spells at once, nor could it transform the mana into anything else. All it could do was suck in a spell and fire it back out. Still, it was
capable of sucking up even high level magic. It was the natural enemy of mages.
Soon enough, all the light from Meld’s Loyalty’s Promise had been sucked up, leaving it no more than a simple jewel. As he watched, dumbfounded, something suddenly slammed into Meld’s torso. The impact wasn’t all that strong. He looked down to see what had hit him.
There was a dull brown knife sticking out of his stomach. More specifically, a blade made out of sand had been thrust so deep into him that the tip was poking out of his back. Drops of blood dripped from its tip, staining the rock below.
“Meld-san!” Kouki coughed up blood as he called out to his mentor. Meld looked from his wound up to Kouki. “Sorry,” he mouthed with a bitter smile.
The sand blade swung to the side, sending Meld flying. He hit the ground like a ragdoll, and lay unmoving where he landed. A pool of blood spread out from under his stomach. Everyone could tell the wound was fatal. It was a wonder he’d managed to move at all with the wounds he’d already had, but this time he really was done for.
Though she knew it wouldn’t make it in time, Kaori still desperately tried to cast long-range healing magic. She succeeded in staunching the blood loss for a short while, but Kaori was out of mana too, and she didn’t have the strength left to close the wound.
“Nooo! Please! Don’t die!” Kaori was so drained of mana that she couldn’t even stand, but she still continued casting without pause.
“I honestly didn’t think he had enough strength left to stand, let alone pin me down. So this is what the kingdom’s strongest knight is like. You’ve earned my respect. Unfortunately, you’ll have to die here... This time, I’ll be sure to finish you off. How about the rest of you? Is this as far as you all go as well?” The demon flung the blood off her sand-blade and stared at Kouki and the students. Most of the students were trembling in fear. This was the second time they’d seen someone close to them die. They knew in the back of their minds that unless they submitted, they’d be next.
Hiyama opened his mouth to accept, but someone cut him off before he could.
“...us.” Kouki muttered something so quietly that it was barely audible. Even though he was in no state to do anything, there was a heavy pressure emanating from him. Hiyama swallowed the words he was about to say.
“Huh? What was that, you half-dead hero?” The demon scoffed at Kouki, certain the most he could do was whine like always. He lifted up his face and glared daggers at the demon.
She fell silent when she saw the look in his eyes. Possibly because his pupils had turned silver and were now glowing. The immense pressure he was radiating forced her to stagger backward. Her instincts screamed that whatever he was doing was dangerous. Now was not the time to worry about appeasing the other kids. She needed to kill the hero right away.
“Ahatod! Finish him!”
“Rwaaaaaaaaah!” The horse-headed monster, Ahatod, roared obediently. It activated its Magic Shockwaves and pounded on Kouki with two of its fists.
However, just as they reached him, Kouki’s entire body was enveloped in a violent whirlpool of white light. It rose up to the ceiling, turning into a solid glowing pillar. He slammed his fist into the arm that was holding him, pulverizing it instantly.
“Raaaaaaaaaah!” Ahatod screamed in pain and dropped Kouki. With movements that seemed impossible given his current wounded state, Kouki followed up with a swift roundhouse kick.
There was a loud boom as his foot connected, and this time it was Ahatod that was sent flying into the wall. Ahatod tried to rise back to its feet, but it no longer had the strength to move. It lay there in the wall, struggling fruitlessly.
Kouki hopped from foot to foot and stretched his hand out. His sword responded to his call and flew back to him. He glared coldly at the demon. The giant pillar of light subsided, and Kouki’s body began to glow even brighter than when he’d used Limit Break.
The dire situation had unlocked his full potential, and he’d learned Limit Break’s only derivative skill, Overload.
While Limit Break only tripled someone’s base stats, Overload multiplied them by five. Though, it also put even more of a strain on the body than Limit Break, forcibly drawing out every ounce of strength its caster possessed. At best, Kouki could maintain this state for 30 seconds. And the exhaustion that followed would be twice as debilitating.
Still, he was too angry to worry about any of that right at the moment. He let his wrath take over and charged the demon. His only thought was to get revenge for Meld. That was what was giving him the strength to remain standing.
The demon seemed flustered for the first time, and she hurriedly ordered her monsters to defend her. The Chimeras, cats, and Super Bulltaurs all rushed him as one. Claws, tentacles, and maces all descended upon him. However, Kouki didn’t even bat an eyelid. He swept them all aside with a single stroke of his blade and continued charging the demon.
“You monster! How dare you kill Meld-san!”
“Tch!”
Kouki swung his sword down without a moment’s hesitation. The demon clicked her tongue and transformed her sand sword into a sand shield, but Kouki’s sword sliced through it like it was butter, and bit deep into the demon’s shoulder.
The only reason she hadn’t been sliced in half was because she’d had the foresight to leap back before Kouki’s blow struck. Still, her wound was deep, and the shockwave from his attack had sent her flying backward.
She slammed into the wall and slumped to the ground. Kouki swung his sword from side to side as he advanced upon the demon.
“Unbelievable... I didn’t think it was possible for you to make a comeback from that... If this is some kind of joke, I don’t much like the punchline.” This was as cliched as it got. The hero getting a sudden burst of strength just when everything was beginning to look hopeless. The demon’s mouth curled up into a sardonic grin. She seemed resigned to her fate.
The white raven perched on her shoulder had started casting healing magic, but it was too late. She wouldn’t recover in time to defend against Kouki’s next attack. Realizing this was checkmate, the demon pulled out a small locket from her pocket.
Thinking she was planning on blowing herself up like Meld had been, Kouki hurriedly closed the distance between them. He didn’t care if the demon died, but he didn’t want his comrades caught up in the explosion. He needed to finish her off before she set off the bomb. However, the locket didn’t have a Loyalty’s Promise in it.
“I’m sorry, Mikhail... it looks like I’ll be going on ahead of you... I love you...” Surprised by her words, Kouki hesitated for a second. He hadn’t expected the demon to have a lover. Confused, the demon looked back up. She should have been dead by now, but Kouki’s sword had stopped a few millimeters in front of her face.
Kouki stared at her dumbly. The two locked gazes for a few seconds. There was something in her eyes that made shivers run down Kouki’s spine.
Seeing his hesitation, and guessing what had caused it, the demon sneered at him again. Her scorn shook Kouki even further
“Pathetic. Did you only just realize that you’re about to kill someone?”
“Ah!?” Up until that point, Kouki had been taught by Ishtar that demons were heartless and cruel, no better than monsters, really. In fact, he’d thought they were basically like an advanced form of monsters. The fact that they were using monsters to fight had only further cemented that idea in his mind. He had never considered that they might be just like people, that they had friends, lovers, parents, things they were willing to fight and die for. Rather, he hadn’t wanted to consider that possibility, but when he’d seen the demon staring at her locket, Kouki had been forced to confront reality. The reality that who he was about to kill wasn’t some heartless “demon,” but a person with feelings just like him. Killing her, whether it was justified or not, would make him a murderer.
“To think you didn’t even consider us people until now... Rather arrogant of you, don’t you think?”
“N-No, I... I
just didn’t know...”
“Hmph... More like you didn’t care to find out.”
“I-I...”
“Well, what are you waiting for? I’m just another monster to be hunted down, right? Another soulless creature to be eliminated. Get it over with already. You’ve done this hundreds of times already.”
“I-If we just talked things out... I-I’m sure we could...” Kouki lowered his sword. The demon looked at him with eyes full of contempt. By way of a reply, she gave out orders to her monsters.
“Ahatod, get the swordswoman! The rest of you, attack the others!” Ahatod had finally recovered enough to move. It dutifully got up and lumbered toward Shizuku. While Shizuku didn’t possess the overwhelming charisma Kouki did, she was the one who always calmly analyzed every situation and came up with the optimal solution. In a way, she was the most dangerous member of the party.
That was why the demon had sent Ahatod after her, while the rest of the monsters kept the others at bay. She’d made up her mind. It would be better to kill them all here than try to bring them over to their side. Kouki’s sudden power spike had proven too dangerous. He couldn’t be allowed to live.
“What!? Why!?”
“You still don’t get it, do you? We’re at war, kid! An immature brat like you having so much power is a threat! That’s why I have to kill you all. You better go save your friends or they’ll all die!” The demon had no interest in negotiating anymore.
Kouki turned around just in time to see Shizuku get sent flying by Ahatod. Ahatod was far stronger than even the other monsters the demon had brought with her. Surprise attack or no, it had managed to overpower Kouki even while he was using Limit Break. There was no way Shizuku stood a chance.
Pale-faced, Kouki rushed over to Shizuku. With his body strengthened with Overload, he was able to block Ahatod’s fists. Then, in one fluid motion, he cut off one of Ahatod’s arms.
But before he could deal the finishing blow, he felt himself go weak at the knees once more. He pitched forward, unable to maintain his balance.
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 4 Page 17