Black Iron Magician

Chapter 462 Last Performance

Maria, stunned by the unexpected turn of events, gradually narrows her wide-open eyes.

「Deris, I will ask just in case… are you serious?」

「Yeah, I’m serious. As you can see, I and Alezel are in no condition to fight anymore. Then, Haru is the only one who can help us, right? It’s a natural conclusion.」

「Kuh, if only my stomach is in perfect condition…!」

The way Alezel is acting is like a ham actor no matter how you look at it. Looking at her heartfelt smile, it seems that she welcomes Haruna’s intrusion.

「… Just stop with the acting. Deris, you were planning to do this from the beginning, weren’t you? You made me fight Nell, saying that it was a match to continue what we left off several years ago―― but in the end, you were planning to let your disciple settle it when I’m exhausted, weren’t you?」

「No, it was just an insurance. You have to take all possible measures to be prepared, right? Well, since it’s Maria’s trial, I think this way is the best. After all, Haru, who’s the origin of this trial, will be the one to beat you directly.」

「You’re so obvious to the point of being refreshing. But, I see. I finally understand what Deris is thinking, oops..!」

In the middle of the conversation, part of Maria’s charred body crumbled down. It seems that her regeneration ability is no longer working, and she has reached the point where she continues to take a small amount of damage just by standing.

「Haru.」

「Yes!」

「Maria’s condition is like that, but she is definitely still stronger than you are right now. Can you do it?」

「Shishō, it’s so unlike you to ask such a question. I will just do my best as usual! Please let me do it!」

Haruna looked at Deris with eyes full of confidence. Seeing her, Deris laughed lightly, saying that it was a foolish question.

In this battle with Maria, Deris had predicted dozens of possible outcomes and had prepared countermeasures for all of them. Regardless of the course of events, Deris had carefully planned and adjusted so that the final step would always reach to Haruna’s assistance.

Originally, Haruna would have never been able to defeat the powerful enemy, Maria, no matter how hard she tries. But as her master, Deris and the others shaved the fighting power of the enemy to a reachable place, and at the very end, he let his beloved disciple take the most delicious part―― Deris continued to work in secret in order to reach such a scenario.

「F-Fufu…. AHAHAHAHAHA! Good, this is the best! To think that the calculating and cunning Deris would put so much trust in his disciple! I’m really happy! Then, I have to change into an appropriate figure ♪」

「Appropriate figure? Hey, are you still going to transform even though you’re in such a state? After all the hard work I’ve put into this plan, you’re going to make me cry if you do that.」

「That’s not what I mean. Wait, so you really planned it! If I win, I will tell Nell about it! I don’t care even if you get divorced! After that, I will make you marry Lily-chan officially!」

「Don’t worry. She might explode me, but she will never divorce me.」

Deris said so with an expression of a man who’s prepared to be exploded.

「How should I put it… well, never mind. If I defeat your disciple, I will still crush you, okay? You too, Alezel.」

「Eh?」

「Kuku, do whatever you want. I’d rather be crushed by you right now than exploded by Nell.」

「Eh?」

「Hmph, you can act tough while you can now! ――Curtain Call.」

The change was instantaneous. The surface of Maria’s charred body peeled off at once, revealing an unscathed Maria with her clothes in the original state. Alezel, who has just been sentenced to execution, is terribly surprised at this transformation, which seems to have completely recovered Maria in an instant.

「Haa!? Her appearance and clothes are back to normal!?」

「…… No, that’s not where you should observe. Hey, Maria. Aren’t you much weaker than when you were in a tattered state?」

Maria is in an appropriate figure, but Deris is observing inside her, not her glittering appearance. After all, the life force and magic power inside Maria have deteriorated even more than before. Far from Alezel, her status is now on par with Haruna’s.

「Isn’t it obvious? It’s a transformation that put everything into repairing my appearance after all. In other words, it’s just a cosmetic makeover. This arm look looks like it has regenerated, but it’s actually powerless. The arm that looks like it has regenerated is just a scrapped piece of meat, and the poison is left as it is. My fighting strength is dropped as compensation for putting on airs like this. I haven’t used this in hundreds of years, you know?」

「… Um, why did you do that?」

Haruna is a little dissatisfied, perhaps because Maria has dropped her power. It seems that Maria’s actions, which seem like she’s not giving her all to win, are difficult for Haruna to understand. Also, she’s the type who wants to scrape off the power of a superior enemy with her own hands.

「It’s because the last stage is very important for an idol. And it’s to make Deris, who thinks you can beat me if we are close in combat strength, feel very embarrassed ♪. …… Well, actually, it’s to fight you fair and square. I’m still very interested in you, you know? Deris is betting on you, who always give your all in everything, in this last battle. I think that fact alone is worth it for me to face you directly. But――」

Maria’s eyes suddenly lost their color, and the air around her turned cold as if frozen.

「――don’t think that you can win even if I’ve fallen to the same level. I have lived for thousands of years, and I have never run away or hide. No matter what the enemy was, I always defeated them with my own hands. Just as Deris and you want a complete victory, I also want a complete victory. I won’t leave any room for dirty excuses because of the difference in strength. I will win completely even in this situation where I have the same strength as you. I will settle it with one blow.」

「Wow, I am so honored that you think of me that much! Then I will do my very best to pierce Maria-san’s heart both physically and mentally! I will also settle it with one blow!」

Haruna said so cheerfully, but the light disappeared from her eyes immediately. This is evidence that she is completely in hunting mode. When both approached a certain distance, they took a stance on the spot. For the first time in a while, a moment of silence descends upon this devastated space.

(Ooh, my disciple is scary…. Still, judging from Maria’s remaining power, it seems that she’s really trying to settle it with one blow.)

Deris decided to stop looking at Haruna and Maria, and he looked at the empty sky above him. Nothing can be done anymore, and praying won’t change the outcome. If so, he decided to rest his weary head even a little, which was a very Deris-like action.

(The backlash to my body and my wife’s anger, there’s no end to it if I think about what will happen later. I won’t have the time to rest. Okay, let’s sleep while I can now. Let’s believe in Haru and sleep. Yeah, I believe in Haru, so let’s… just… sleep….)

Maybe he was very tired, the sleepiness came immediately. He felt like he heard a fierce collision sound outside of his consciousness, but his head was too exhausted. Deris went to the peaceful dream world, and the long battle with Maria came to an end.

「… Hee, not bad.」

Haruna’s fist accurately pierced Maria’s heart, soaked in her few remaining blood.