Vol 1 Chapter 19 – Evil Has Left the Building

A slash of darkness hung frozen in mid-air.

Although it had failed to carve Ludrick into ribbons, it refused to vanish and still radiated an oppressive weight.

Neither Ludrick nor Ruru could tear their eyes from the bizarre sight.

And that, as it turned out, was what saved their lives.

It was obvious they weren’t staring because they expected to be spared… yet here they were, alive.

“Hmm? The air’s… creaking?” Hannah was the first to notice.

Having decided—quite unconsciously—that everything would be fine now that Alvarado was here, she’d left the safety of her workshop.

As an alchemist, she had a researcher’s instincts.

Because she was always observing and cataloging her surroundings, she detected the spatial distortion before anyone else. …Granted, it might also have helped that she was standing closest to Alvarado.

With dangerous demons still around, staying near the safest person was perfectly rational. She definitely wasn’t doing it for peace of mind—absolutely not.

“You’re right. It’s kind of… creaking.” Ruru felt it next.

Ludrick sensed it too, though he kept silent.

Space itself was stretched taut—an eerie sensation.

Not the air—the very fabric of space.

And the cause was obviously that slash of darkness…

…which finally bared its fangs.

“Aah!?”

“WHOOM”

A deafening boom ripped through the area.

Who had screamed? Perhaps everyone except Alvarado—who stood calmly—and the spirit clinging to him, perfectly aware of what would happen.

“We… we’re getting sucked in!?”

Everything around them was drawn toward the center of the black slash.

And the pull was anything but gentle.

Even a member of the Demon Lord’s Four Heavenly Kings and a cat-folk warrior couldn’t stay planted without help; the force was that monstrous.

Trees were yanked out by the roots, or snapped in half before being swallowed by the darkness.

“Guaaaaah!? What is this!? We’re totally done for!”

“My workshop! Hey, you! What do you think you’re doing to my place!?”

“Fugyaaaaaaaaaa!?”

Ludrick jammed his sword into the ground to stay anchored.

Hannah, half-crying as her beloved workshop was shredded and devoured, hurled insults.

Being the physically weakest of them, she pressed her voluptuous body against Alvarado—the spirit clicking her tongue the whole time—while stretching his cheeks every which way. Alvarado merely offered a cryptic smile and pretended not to notice.

Ruru, light as a feather, clung to the hilt of the holy sword she’d driven into the earth, her body swaying sideways.

“Oh, by the way, if you get sucked in there, you’ll be erased completely—no trace left. Heads-up.”

“This is supposed to be a holy sword!? Its kill-power is way off the charts!”

“What else would it be if not a holy sword…?”

“Quit looking at me like I’m the weird one!”

Ruru, fighting for her life, snapped. What was this holy-sword spirit, a walking ball of quirks? She cursed internally—Mine isn’t nearly this bad, damn it!

“Guh… nngh…!”

Ludrick’s situation was even harsher than Ruru’s. His raw strength was higher, so in theory he had an edge at digging in.

The problem was the slash of darkness swirling right beside him. He had been fighting Alvarado, after all.

The suction battering him far surpassed what Ruru faced. That he endured at all spoke to his rank among the Four Heavenly Kings.

Enduring, however, was all he could do. Alvarado, wearing a relaxed grin, stood before him with both the spirit and Hannah stuck to his body.

“Having trouble moving? You look like you’re in a pinch, arch-villain.”

“Wh-what!? How are you fine in this maelstrom…!?”

Even a Heavenly King had to brace his sword against the ground to avoid being blown away, yet the man before him stood firm on two feet, utterly unfazed.

“Ah, I see. Because it’s your own technique, you’re immune to it.”

The thought hit Ludrick. A power this strong should affect the user too.

Surely he couldn’t employ it so casually. There had to be something—maybe the holy sword—that shielded him. That would explain his composure.

…Right up until the spirit poked her face out beside Alvarado’s and shot that theory down without hesitation.

“Nope. I’m not doing anything.”

“Huh?”

“It hits Al too. He’s just walking through it on muscle power alone.”

“Ehh…?”

What is with this guy… Ludrick could think of nothing else.

“Well now, if you can’t move, that’s a problem. You’ve no way to block my attack.”

Alvarado slowly raised the holy sword—still crusted with debris.

To Ludrick it looked exactly like a guillotine being hoisted.