「Your highness!! Dodge!」

Mihai’s voice resounded in the surroundings.

Serius was watching the humongous blade that was falling from the sky.

Although his body took evasive maneuvers on its own but his attention was concentrated on that blade.

His body felt like it was floating. He got off from Caligula’s back and turned in mid-air.

He felt the sickle of the death god pass by his body. He felt like his shoulder was tapped by a bony hand. He felt like his face was caressed by a cold hand not belonging to this world.

Serius flipped in mid air and landed on the ground and immediately looked up.

There was a fantastical scene reflected in his eyes.

「――」

He was too late in giving the order to move. Caligula who was a little too obedient had its body cleaved into 『that』. The scene of a dragon perfectly cut in two was something that he even felt was slightly beautiful. He felt that it was a scene he may never be able to see gain.

「Your highness!!」

Then, he noticed Mihai desperately running towards him from the other side the earth split by the demonic sword. It turns out that he had evacuated in the opposite direction to Serius.

Being caught by Mihai’s voice, Serius looked down towards his left hand and finally noticed the 『irregularity』 with himself.

He had lost his left arm.

――...It grazed me huh.

When he landed, he felt that his balance had oddly been off. Although he had planned on forcing his limbs to move but his body seems to have tilted to one side. It seems like he only managed to force three limbs.

「That was some insane power」

Just the shockwaves from the power that was bursting from that blade had been enough to take his left arm.

For that blade itself, that might have been a droplet of power.

However, just that amount touching his arm was enough for it to be blown away.

「It was seriously some insane power」

Nothing remained in the range of that weapon. 『Everything was blown away』.

However, even seeing such a scene――

「...」

Serius was still calm. It was to the point where even he found it odd.

It’s possible that, being driven into a corner had led his ability to think to reach new levels. That was also proof that Serius’ survival instinct was excellent.

Only because Serius was this calm, that he was able to make a certain decision.

He looked over at Merea who was swinging the demonic sword and then he looked over at Hasim was swinging the demonic spear one after the other and then went silent for a short moment. However, almost immediately, he turned his gaze towards his subordinates.

Serius, then, looked at Mihai was rushing towards him and clearly spoke.

◆◆◆

「――Retreat」

◆◆◆

「Eh?」

To Mihai’s surprised question, Serius calmly replied.

「We’re retreating, Mihai. If we stick here any longer, it will also affect the battles happening in other places. ――We will leave that be. For the sake of the favourable situation to the north, we can’t afford to lose any more combat potential. I’m sure even his majesty would understand」

Serius looked at Mihai, who had started to stem the bleeding base of his left arm with cloth, and spoke to him in a decisive tone.

「More than anything, it’s bad that I received a wound. I’m perfectly fine but――」

Serius looked at his subordinates and could see an unignorable unrest spreading through them.

「The soldiers are panicking. ...While it’s odd to say it myself but, this is the first time I’ve ever received a wound in front of the soldiers」

「...Yes」

This was the moment that the 『faith』 in him had, in turn, turned into a weight.

On one hand he felt like this was an expected result but on the other hand, he felt that the power they got from that faith was what helped them reach where they were right now.

He wasn’t really sure which is the right opinion yet.

「However, in this battle they managed to experience it. Which means that from the next time, they would be able to continue fighting without being shaken」

Mihai nodded in reply to those words.

While listening to Serius speak, Mihai continued to move in order to stop the bleeding and once it seemed like the bleeding was close to stopping, he suddenly noticed a certain fact.

If he looked closely, Serius hadn’t sweat at all.

Mihai, who noticed that fact, felt a chill assail his spine.

The darling of battle who had been cornered, rather than having his fighting spirit wither was instead――

「Besides, not to be obstinate but, once the battles in the north and west subside a little then I’ll come back to crush them. At that time――」

Serius looked over the〈Demon God〉holding up the demonic sword with an extremely sharp gaze.

Mihai felt like he saw a combative smile on his face for a moment and felt goosebumps rise on his arms.

「『It’ll be fine if I stop that demon god』. That monster is the core of everything. If I manage to stop that then, the essence of the battlefield will return to normal」

Serius was trying to become even greater.

Being the prince of a large kingdom wasn’t just for show. It wasn’t just for the name.

「I’ll give you this battle. ――But, 『our history』 has only just started」

Serius definitely spoke such words.

Serius himself had no way of knowing that the words he spoke would 『begin a new spiral of history』 that would cross mountains and seas and, not just the eastern continent but it would also have a strong impact on various countries of the other continents as well.

That history threatened to roll up the entire 『world』.

「Once we return to our kingdom, we’ll use the〈Prototype Omnipotent Technique (Pario Raftere)〉. My arm should be fixed with that. After that, I’ll immediately work on improving my strength」

While speaking, Serius stood up. It seemed like he had no intentions of retracting his order to retreat.

In reality, if Merea’s determination to extend the violent god mode were to be taken into consideration, then, Serius’ order for retreat was indeed correct.

If Serius had mistaken when to call quits then the damage would have been considerably higher.

「However, your highness, if you do that then your lifespan would――」

As he was obeying Serius’ orders, Mihai couldn’t let the words he just heard slide and was forced to question him.

「I don’t need the life right before I take the plunge. It’ll be fine if I just get my son to take over the rule or something」

Serius Brad Mūzeg had no interests aside from victory.

He only has an intense interest in victory.

Although he was called crazy by Merea and Hasim, Serius ended up become even crazier the moment he found an absolute wall called Merea Mea in front of him.

A monster inspires a genius.

「――Haha, this isn’t bad. Knowing there’s someone above you isn’t bad, Merea」

With an opponent in front of him, who he didn’t even know if he could win against, Serius felt like he got a strange sense of fulfillment.

――It might really be that I shouldn’t have been born as the prince.

Without letting those words leave his lips, he just thought of it.

「However, I’m Serius Brad Mūzeg. ――II’m 『Mūzeg』 after all」

Looking at the black haired demon god and the his former friend with the beautiful aqua blue eyes in the distance, Serius spoke such words.

Right then, he noticed an azure lump coming from the northeast.

「Zuria’s〈Azure Spearmen(Calleum Lansania)〉. ――Crisca huh. Although I feel like meeting her a little but let’s leave that be for now. It also feels like Muran might show up in time with his 『magic cannons』 in tow」

The moment he finished saying that, Serius starting giving orders to Mihai.

They were orders for the entire army to――retreat.

◆◆◆

「They’re retreating…?」

While watching Mūzeg’s movements, she couldn’t help but speak with a dazed expression.

Next to her, Merea also watching the movements of the black armoured lot but he continued to hold onto the sword in his hand.

At that time,

「Merea!!」

Hasim rode up from behind him and yelled in a flustered tone.

Since Hasim was behind Merea, he was able to notice a certain fact.

「You, your body is――」

From under his clothes, an abnormal amount of red liquid of flowing down. It was blood.

「It’s just the reaction to the violent god technique. ...But, it’s still not at the level to get flustered over」

Though he said that, the part of his back where his clothes stuck to him was already completely dyed red. It was to the point where one would not even want to imagine what the state under his clothes was.

「I can’t afford to collapse until Mūzeg’s army is completely out of sight. If I showed even a little bit of weakness here, then the time they take to come back for revenge will definitely get shorter. We have to avoid that」

Without showing even a slightly pained expression, Merea just continued to watch Mūzeg’s retreating army.

That way of standing there without even trembling while the technique was still deployed, in a certain sense it made him look superhuman but in another sense he seemed very human.

「――Don’t cry, Elma」

As if she was doing it in place of Merea who wasn’t even raising a slightly anguised voice, Elma stood next to him with her head bent down and only a muffled sniffling could be heard.

So that no one realises that she was crying, she tried to put up a brave front but she wasn’t able to endure the tears themselves.

「tsu――」

While raising an incomprehensible voice, Elma just stood there holding onto Merea’s hand.

She had been saved more times by that hand than she could even count.

As a demon lord and also as the individual known as Elma Elisa as well.

However, for that part, she had caused Merea to shoulder quite a lot of burden.

「It’s not Elma’s fault. I just shouldered all of that on a whim」

Merea gently placed his hand on Elma’s head which was resting on his shoulder and spoke consoling words to her.

Although he had the intention of consoling her but he was not speaking any lies.

「Since I’m a coward so, if I don’t corner myself to a certain extent, nothing works out properly. I’m seeking something that’s really far from here so, I have to move my legs myself or it’s of no use. Over and above that, I’m still human at the end of the day so, there may be times when I want to run away, times when I want to give up as well――」

Merea laughed lightly while he spoke.

「At that time, everything I’m shouldering will definitely make me rethink」

Hearing those words, Elma gripped his hand even stronger.

「...Won’t you, be crushed by that weight?」

With a trembling voice, she asked him without raising her head.

「At that time――, I’d be happy if you helped me shoulder it as well」

Merea lightly laughed again. It was a carefree smile.

Hearing that answer, Elma naturally felt her determination strengthen.

「...Got it」

Elma raised her head.

「I will――」

She looked into Merea’s eyes with her own eyes lit up with a strong will.

「Even if you’re crushed by the weight of your burden, even then――I’ll always be by your side」

In reality, she wanted to say, 「When you’re about to be crushed by the weight of your burden, I’ll help you shoulder it as well」.

However, she felt like that was insufficient.

Supporting him would be a given.

However, if he were to be close to being crushed even then, he would probably push her off. Not just her, he would push them all off and try to be the only one crushed.

That was

――No good. At that time, even if I have to do it with pure will, I’ll hold onto him.

Definitely,

「I will never let you be alone」

So as not to worry him any more, she faced him with an awkward smile as she spoke, causing Merea to stare at her, surprised.

However, he immediately floated a troubled grin before finally,

「――Is that so」

He changed to a happy smile.

Merea might have also realised what Elma was trying to say.

Those words might have also been salvation for him.

Having been born in a rather special way, having an inhabitant of this world be that concerned about him, was a solid support for Merea’s heart.

「Then...it’s fine...now right…?」

Right after, as Merea watched the figures of Mūzeg’s army disappear into a cloud of dust, he suddenly felt the muscles of his body loosen up and a sudden sense of fatigue assailed him.

Starting with his arm not feeling like it belonged to his body anymore, his waist which was supporting his upper body, felt like it would buckle at any moment.

In the end, his feet, which were firmly planted on the ground, lost all feeling.

「...I’m tired~...」

「Merea!!」

As if he lost all strength, Merea collapsed to his knees.

The techniques he had wrapped around his body disappeared, the magic power that was flowing out of his body, almost infinitely, weakened and finally his black hair turned back to his usual pure white.

From the impact of having collapsed to his knees, blood spurted out of his body and dyed the ground of the wilderness red.

Though, without worrying about the situation being as such, Merea had a relieved and loosened expression on his face.

Elma quickly hugged Merea’s body and as if she were protecting her own child, she tenderly wrapped her arms around him. His body that, until just the other day, had been so fragile, now felt quite heavy.

「...the sky is scarlet」

「...yeah」

Merea was looking up at the sky from inside Elma’s arms. He continued to watch the world until the moment right before his eyelids closed.

「The ground is scarlet」

「...yeah」

His voice sounded like it would soon disappear as he fell into sleep.

「My hand will, definitely――」

He was unable to complete those words.

However, Elma understood what Merea was trying to say.

Which is why, Elma wrapped her hand around Merea’s hand which he raised towards the sky.

She knew, exactly what he wanted to say.

Even so,

「――Thank you」

Elma still said those words.

At some point, Merea had closed his eyes and fell asleep.

With Merea still hugged to her chest, Elma looked around at the surroundings.

As Merea had said, the view was dyed in scarlet.

The red sky, the red wilderness, everything was dyed――crimson.

However, their 『comrades』 could be seen running through that scarlet view.

People who were trying to walk the same road.

Those people were running towards the light that would be their guide.

Their appearance was not dyed in crimson.

「――I’ll definitely not let you move forward alone. That’s why, sleep peacefully」

To make them feel relieved, Elma floated a beautiful smile as her black hair billowed in the wind.

That day, the eastern sky, as if to signify the start of a new history――was dyed in a clear scarlet.

――― ―― ―