Black Iron Magician

Chapter 461 Devastated Stage

The breath dropped wildly from the sky, pierced through all of Maria’s magic and landed in a straight line to the ground. The flames spread rapidly to the surroundings from the center of the explosion, dyeing the jet-black space white. The tornadoes that swallowed and destroyed everything and the strong winds that indiscriminately blew everything away couldn’t resist the breath that Rimudo shot seriously. The breath erased everything in its path.

「Deris, it’s gonna be okay, right? This barrier is really secure, right?」

「Hmm? Oh, we can breathe now. Even if you ask me that, I can’t even get up on my own.」

While the white spectacle spread, the barrier created by Deris with all his might managed to endure. Although it’s only a small dome-shaped wall that enveloped the two of them, it seems to be extremely sturdy, and it seems to have resistance to fire. However, due to the backlash of the drug, Deris has collapsed upside down and he seems to be unable to move even a finger.

「Here, I will turn you on your back.」

「Ouch!?」

The moment Alezel rolled Deris sideways, he raised a pitiful cry. His expression is not something he wants to show to his disciple.

「H-Hey, just touching me causes me extreme pain, you know!?」

「Oh, I didn’t know there was such a side effect. Does your skin sensation become abnormally sensitive? I see, that’s very informative. I will let the developers know that!」

「Hey, are you using me as an experiment…?」

「Hmm, it looks like it’s gonna clear up outside the barrier. It was a quite long battle… but we finally defeated Maria-han!」

「Don’t change the topic, and don’t raise the flag!, is what I want to say, but I will let it slide today. So what’s the outside like? Look the outside for me.」

「Sure, sure. I will do that much for free. Wait a minute.」

The roaring sound stopped, and the flames around them slowly fade away. Alezel looked around and gazed at the sight in the distance.

「Ugh…」

「Is it as expected?」

「The place is originally black, but now it feels devastated.」

「Well, I guess so.」

The battlefield prepared by Delis has been transformed from a space painted in black to a dead land of charred floors, remaining fires, black smoke, and a huge crater that was the center of the explosion. Since the place was originally man-made, the visual change was not that big. However, if the breath were to be released on the ground outside, it would be no joking matter.

「Does this reach the entire space that Deris prepared?」

「It’s said that his breath could cover the entire continent, so that’s probably the case. Setting aside Agalia, I don’t think Rimudo will put on airs and lie about it. Ah, you should stay inside the barrier, okay? I’m sure it’s really hot outside.」

「Y-Yeah. That’s right, what about Nell and Maria-han?」

Alezel looked around again. However, she couldn’t see their figures. In fact, she couldn’t even see Rimudo, who has a huge body and overwhelming presence.

「What does this mean? Could it be that the high heat has melted them!?」

「No, that won’t happen to Nell and Rimudo…. Hmm, judging from the flow of magic power, Maria is there, I guess?」

「There?」

Deris pointed at a certain place with his gaze. It’s the place where the crater is located, the place most damaged by Rimudo’s breath. Lured by Deris, Alezel also turned her head in that direction.

「W-What!?」

What a good timing. The moment Alezel looked there, the rubble was blown away and something flew to the air. There are some burned parts and missing parts, but it’s unmistakably her.

「M-Maria-han is alive!? Deris, Maria-han is alive!?」

「Ouch!? C-Calm down, you idiot! Don’t shake me! The pain will make me faint!」

「I don’t care about such trivial things! At this rate, I and Deris will be killed by Maria-han, y’know!?」

「I’ll give you some money later, so please calm down!」

「…… *Stop*」

「G-Good, you finally calmed down, you damn miser. How is Maria’s condition?」

Alezel, who has regained her composure, nonchalantly reported Maria’s condition to Deris. The dark red mist that covered her has completely disappeared, and her surface is charred and black just like the ground. Her right arm is missing from the elbow, several fingers of her left hand have been blown off, and the multiple lights that changed into eerie mouths have all disappeared. Seeing that her body does not regenerate, it seems that the effects of the poison are still working and her HP has dropped to a critical level.

「In other words, Maria is also in a critical condition, huh.」

「If it’s just the appearance, I wouldn’t be surprised if it crumbles down at any moment. …… Now that I think about it calmly, maybe I can finish her off if she’s like that? Also, what about Nell and Rimudo-han?」

「I teleported them just before he finished his breath. I was singing inside the breath, so it got inside my body and burned various things.」

「Whoa!? Maria-han!?」

Maria landed on the edge of the crater and approached Deris’s barrier by dragging her feet. There is no doubt that she is full of wounds. She will surely be defeated with one more push. However, due to the intimidating air, Alezel, who’s slightly traumatized by Maria, is hesitating.

「But, I had the time to destroy Nell’s magic and sent the two of them outside this space. Ah, expecting them to come back is no use, you know? I sent them to the other side of the Jiba continent, so even Nell won’t be able to come back anytime soon. So, is Alezel going to be my next opponent? Sure, I’m fine with it. …… Are you not coming? I don’t have the power to use magic and I’m in a critical condition, you know? It’s a chance, you know?」

「Well, uh…. I-It’s an honor, but how should I put it… that’s too heavy for me…. Deris, Deris, do I really have to fight? I don’t mean to brag, but I’m really scared now!」

「You’re usually full of confidence, but when in front of Mariaouch!」

Being shaken by Alezel, Deris feels like he’s about to die.

「Haa… haa…! Maria, it’s regrettable, but it seems that we are not in the condition to fight you. We’re so close to beating you, so it’s really regrettable.」

「It’s really regrettable!」

「…… I won’t be fooled anymore. I will make sure to knock out both of you here.」

「Hey!?」

Not listening to their excuse, Maria approached them and Alezel unwillingly took a stance. Because of his habits, Maria doesn’t seem to trust Deris’s words at all.

「Well, it can’t be helped then. Of course, I will try to defend myself. So, here comes the last supporter.」

「「Huh?」」

Not only Maria, but even Alezel raised her voice of suspicion. And then, ‘she’ appeared in this devastating space with a dazzling light.

「I, Katsuragi Haruna, have arrived! Maria-san, let’s do our best!」

「………」

Maria opened her eyes wide, and she remained that way for a while