Those words were tantamount to the coming of a great disaster.
†
There existed a sand ship that could have more than a hundred people riding on it, known as a “Galleon-class” ship. It had three sails, with three masts to go along with them, each mast standing sixty meters high. The sails of the giant ship were fully spread out as it moved ahead at full speed.
It was running away from something.
There was an enormous crossbow on the deck of the ship, its drawstring operated by a handle, but no one bothered to use it to fend off their pursuer—and that was simply because there was no point. All they could do now was pray to God and the wind.
The Galleon-class ship, a vessel much larger than the one Diablo and the others had taken, was being chased by a monster several times larger than even that, throwing clouds of sand in the air as it pursued them. It was a beige-colored whale, swimming through the ocean of sand. Its exterior was as hard as stone, and could even rival dragon scales in toughness. It was said the weapons of the races couldn’t put a single scratch on it. The length of its body totaled more than 300 meters long, and it boasted the largest mouth of any monster in this world. If it plunged itself into the town, it could devour the buildings in droves. Large enough that it could be described as a mountain or an island, it was a monster that rivaled a Green Behemoth or Sea Serpent in size.
The townspeople, the Paladin Brigade—none of that mattered anymore. Screams of terror, cries of indignation, and public outcry all mixed together.
“Why is it heading toward town!?” “We hafta get outta here!” “To where!? We’re not gonna make it now!” “The Paladin Captain might be able to do something!” “Someone hurry up and get him!” “Oh gods, it’s already this close! It’s overrrr!!”
Since Batutta was the governor of this town, it seemed the people thought he might be able to do something about this.
It was considerably close now, and they could all see the Sand Whale clearly. It probably wouldn’t even take it ten minutes to arrive.
Someone with good eyesight was squinting at the horizon, and Diablo managed to overhear the ensuing conversation:
“Oh, goddammit! Those idiots are heading toward the town on a sand ship!”
“They’re running away to here!?”
“No, they’re a bit off course for that! Sunnuva—they’re trying to force the monster into town so they can get away!”
“Whaaaaat!?”
The sand along the ground began to shake, making them feel the tremors in the earth. Was it because the Sand Whale was approaching? He could have never experienced anything like this back in the game.
Rem and Shera came running over to him.
“D-Diablo, how should we handle this!?”
“Waaaaah! Whadda we do, whadda we do, whadda we dooooo!?”
Lumachina was with them as well. She was staying stoic and keeping a stiff upper lip, but he could tell she was afraid by how her knees were slightly trembling.
Even though they knew it was pointless, the townspeople began to flee for their lives. The Sand Whale was approaching from the east, so they were all running to the west.
—If I use that Flight spell I practiced earlier, I could get only us out of here...
The townspeople staggered over to Lumachina, gathering around her. There were about thirty of them kneeling around her in prayer.
“God...” “Save us...” “Please, O Lord...”
Lumachina was at a loss; she didn’t know what she should be doing. But that was understandable. They were all suddenly put face-to-face with a situation that could be called a calamity, after all.
Diablo sighed.
—This is why I’m so bad when it comes to religion. Whenever something beyond your control happens, everyone just starts turning to God for help. Even if you can’t do anything by yourself, there are so many other things you could do, like cooperate with other people, or find someone else you can rely on.
Though they knew it to be pointless, even the other people who were running westward were better than these believers.
—But the reason I think like that may just be due to how little a presence religion actually has in Japan.
In any case, running away by themselves using Flight magic was probably out of the question. Lumachina wouldn’t be happy with that, for sure.
Diablo stood on the sand, fixing his glare on the Sand Whale. It kept getting closer, kicking up clouds of sand as it moved.
—Ah, well, guess I’ll get to it!
“Rem!”
“Y-Yes!”
“I’m going to use Multiplex Magic, so be wary of our surroundings! This leaves me fairly exposed.”
“Understood...! I will send out Summons that you can use as a shield.”
“Shera, you protect Lumachina. Don’t let any suspicious characters get anywhere near her. If they do, shoot them.”
“A-Alrighty, will do! I’ll send out my Turkey Shot to keep a lookout, too!”
Lumachina stood surrounded by believers (at this point, it should be all right to call them that) who were all offering prayers to God. He didn’t think they would try to approach her, but this was all just to be on the safe side.
Shera pulled out her black bow, positioning herself next to Lumachina. She sent her round, plump Summon flying in the air. Though it was slow and weak, it had the ability to observe everything that was happening from up in the skies.
Rem sent out her 《Stone Golem》 and newly acquired 《Iron Gorilla》, two Summons that excelled in tank roles.
Diablo concentrated on his target, but his hands were shaking.
—Damn, this is making me nervous...
This was a spell he used even less than Apocalypse Abyss, after all. He was locked in place until it activated, and he wouldn’t be able to cast other spells. He learned it because of how much of a punch it packed, but for a solo player like Diablo, he didn’t really get the chance to use it.
—Can I use a spell I don’t really have that much experience with in this world?
He remembered the first time he used magic, right after he had been summoned to this world. His pulse was pounding.
Diablo aimed Tenma’s Staff at his target.
—Multiplex Magic!
It was a technique that layered three spells on top of each other, firing them as one. It took an inordinate amount of time to prepare, and would be canceled if the caster took damage while in the middle of it, draining them of a huge chunk of MP. On top of that, it was treated as a “special ability” which meant he couldn’t use it multiple times in a row. If it didn’t activate now, it would be a little while before he would be able to try again.
Basically, this was a make-or-break battle.
Diablo began chanting the first of the three spells:
“Darkness blacker than black, born from the gloom of the underworld, congregate and form into an arc... 《Dark Arc Seek》!”
The tip of his staff acting as a central point, a black light extended both above and below it. It now looked something similar to the bow Shera carried, but its size was incomparable. The lower end of the arc was entering into the ground, while the upper portion was several times taller than Diablo’s full height.
“Void that swallows all of creation, come to me... 《Black Hole Arrow》!”
A pitch-dark sphere appeared from the top of his staff. It was a hole, one that devoured everything, light or otherwise.
The tremors were growing more intense, and the tents were starting to collapse. Cracks appeared in the stone buildings as the fleeing ship passed along the side of the town. They really were trying to push the Sand Whale into the town so only they could escape.
—But I need to ignore that for now.
A monster as large as the city itself was approaching them. The Sand Whale cracked open its cavernous mouth.
Diablo’s heart rate skyrocketed. Terror welled up inside him, and his breathing became more uneven. This was far different fro
m what he remembered seeing on his computer screen!
—W-Will a single person’s magic...even work on a monster that’s as big as a mountain!?
Doubt appeared in his mind.
—No, now’s not the time to falter! This is just like when I first used magic here! Believe in yourself, me! No— believe in Diablo! I am Diablo, a Demon Lord from another world!!
“Arrow of the void, pierce through and wedge between the boundary of heaven and earth! 《Gravity Abyss》!!”
He bellowed with all his might and sent the sparkling black arrow flying toward the gigantic monster.
The atmosphere itself trembled as the crystallization of these three ultimate spells scored a direct hit on the tip of the Sand Whale’s nose.
Then the spell activated. A black hole ripped away the monster’s tough hide. The skin tough enough to rival dragon scales was being torn from its body, sucked away into a hole so small that it couldn’t even be seen from a distance.
The monster’s advance was stopped.
—Oh, hell yeah! It worked...!!
While posing victoriously on the inside, Diablo kept his gaze fixed on the monster, a cold expression on his face. Before long, there came a reverse shock wave, and a force that pulled everything toward the monster reached the town. It felt as if something were pushing him from the back.
Sand was starting to gather toward the Sand Whale. Tents went flying, and small objects were knocked all over the place. A portion of a broken stone wall went sailing toward it. Even people were almost dragged away by the vacuum, but the others around them managed to grab hold and pull them back in.
The typhoon-level winds continued to blow with tremendous fury. Diablo could hear the sound of solid objects breaking in rapid succession as the Sand Whale was slowly falling into the super-miniaturized hole.
The air shook.
“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRHHHHHHHHHHN!!”
—Is that the scream a large monster makes?
At any rate, this thing was huge. Too huge.
The spell’s effect was going to run out soon, and it still hadn’t brought down the enormous beast.
Diablo mulled over what other magic he could use. He wouldn’t be able to use anything like Multiplex Magic for a while, so another high-damage spell that would be effective against a Sand Whale would have to be...
†
A flash of light came from a corner of the town. Diablo could sense that it was imbued with a substantial amount of SP.
It was a long range Martial Art.
He didn’t know what weapon the user was wielding, so the name of the technique was unclear, but it was definitely a Martial Art, no doubt about it. It didn’t have the same power as the Multiplex Magic Diablo used since spells were the only things that possessed enough power to change the terrain itself. Warriors, however, were able to use their special attacks one after the other.
Flashes of light were fired off in quick succession. Its advance halted and the plating on its snout stripped away because of Diablo’s Gravity Abyss, the Sand Whale was taking steady damage from the assault.
On top of that, the next he knew, the sound of gunfire was coming from behind him. It was a noise that shook Diablo to the core, like he was listening to a tank fire its main gun. Not only did it reach his eardrums, but it was something he could feel with his skin.
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
The sound kept repeating. And then, about ten seconds later, the Sand Whale’s body exploded. A chain of explosions rocked the monster’s hardened exterior, as if someone planted bombs under its skin.
*BAM!*
*BAM!*
*BAM!*
—Could this be...a magi gun!?
One of the higher level classes available for an Archer who invested in their Magic stat was called a 《Magi Gunner》. Considering the average level of this world was so low, he thought they might not even exist... Yet here they were.
Magi guns were a unique type of weapon used by Magi Gunners that fired bullets imbued with magic. By adding more magic when firing, they could unleash attacks which had enough power to rival that of Elemental spells.
When the class was first implemented in Cross Reverie, it was so overpowered that it had to be constantly nerfed. Players bashed Magi Gunners when they were first introduced to the game, being called everything from “broken,” to “official cheats,” and even “balance breakers.”
—If the original version of the class exists in this world, they’d be a real pain in the ass to deal with.
The air shook once more at the scream of the Sand Whale. Writhing in agony, it sank down into the sand.
—Did we beat it? Or did it just run away? There aren’t any post-battle results to see like in the game, and you don’t get any EXP or item drops, either.
Because of this, he couldn’t confirm the outcome of his battle just now; but at least the tremors were growing smaller, and the sense of oppression that gripped the town was slowly disappearing. One thing was for certain: The Sand Whale had left the vicinity of Zircon Tower.
“Hmph...” Diablo snorted. “What a nuisance that was.”
“...You really are...unbelievable...” Rem wiped the tears from her eyes.
Shera came rushing over to him, throwing her arms around him.
“Yay!! You’re amazing, just like I thought you were! You’re really amazing, Diabloooo!!” As she pressed her chest up against him, it felt like he would slip into a goofy smile at any second.
—Ah, this is bad! A Demon Lord can’t get dopey over having a busty Elf all over him!
Gritting his teeth, he peeled Shera off of him. As he tried to push her away, he ended up grabbing a handful of something soft and squishy.
“Mngh...” Shera moaned softly. “Diablo, you perv.”
—Th-That wasn’t on purpose, I swear! But making excuses isn’t like a Demon Lord at all. A Demon Lord would never get flustered over boobs! Never! But...then, what do I do!?
As he stayed deep in thought, his fingers stayed latched onto Shera’s chest, pushing and pulling against it. She turned red all the way to the tips of her long ears.
“Ah, mm... Diablo, you can’t... Not when we’re outside... Everyone’s watching...”
—So as long as we’re not outside, then it’s OK!?
Rem pulled Shera off of him. “Just how long are you going to keep doing that! It’s indecent!”
The soft sensation left his body. He was relieved, but also somewhat sad, in a way...
Diablo cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact with Rem’s reproachful gaze. At the very least, he was glad that he protected the town.
Turning around to look—Lumachina was kneeling down, her hands clasped together.
“My God... Thank you! You have my sincerest gratitude!”
Those words were meant for Diablo, it seemed. But the people around them would never think that Lumachina was referring to the Demon in front of her as if he were a god. They simply joined hands and looked upward, offering words of gratitude to the heavens.
Any normal person may not have even understood that Diablo had used magic. After all, the only thing people thought Elemental magic could do in this world was conjure up a slight breeze.
Despite everything, the Paladin Brigade still remained.
Diablo shrugged his shoulders with a snort. “Hmph. You’re all still here?”
“Hngh!?”
When he called out to them, they finally broke out of their collective stupor. Putting himself in their shoes, they were probably all prepared to die after the sudden appearance of the Sand Whale. Then came along this Sorcerer who dared to stand and fight, and who actually managed to repel the beast using Elemental magic with power that surpassed their wildest expectations. It wasn’t hard to imagine them freezing up in shock because of that.
—Well, I guess there was also that Martial Art and the barrage from the magi gun.
Diablo aimed his staff at the Paladin Brigade.
“I will say this now...but I won’t be holding back. For those prepared to turn into ash, take up your swords.”
In a panic, the bear-like Pantherian threw his lance to the ground. He fell to his knees, head bowed; the other members of the Brigade did the same.
““W-We’re sorryyyyyy!!””
“...Very well.”
It looked like they now understood the difference in their strengths.
But it didn’t end with this. In a way, something even more troublesome than the Sand Whale had just appeared.
†
They arrived on horseback and dismounted—a Paladin. Not one of those fake-looking Paladin Brigade members, but an actual Paladin. They wore a familiar set of armor, and carried a spear that was practically overflowing with magic energy. It was a man in the golden years of his life, somewhere around the same age as Galford. He sported a plentiful beard that came down to his chest.
I thought he might be a Dwarf...but I guess he’s Human.
Discrimination against the races was particularly strong back in the capital, with only Humans being appointed to any office of importance. There were no Dwarves among the Paladins, most likely.
The Paladin looked at Diablo, his already stern expression becoming even more grim. If Galford had a “strict teacher” vibe going for him, then this guy was more like an “ornery boss.”
The Paladin opened his mouth. “Was it you who used that magic earlier...?”
Before Diablo could answer, the Paladin Brigade sprung back to their feet.
“Boss!” They started to get cocky again.
The man Diablo sent flying earlier swaggered toward him. “Heh heh... Hey, Sorcerer! You acted like you’re such a big man, but all that’s over now! This is the captain of the Paladins, the great Sir Batutta! Whaddya thinka that!”
How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 4 Page 11