Vol 3 Chapter 56 – But There Will Be No Next Time

“Ah, he’s being dragged out…”

From my perspective, Al had suddenly started staring at an empty spot, then he started moving abruptly, then he suddenly started swinging me around and rampaging. I had no idea what was going on.

But then a crack appeared in space, and he forcibly pried it open and pulled Melia out from inside.

The way she dangled, grabbed by the scruff of her neck, was like a kitten being scolded for making mischief.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

“Her screams don’t even make sense anymore. That’s a genuine one, isn’t it…”

But since Melia was genuinely bawling her eyes out, the misery was off the charts.

Well, I guess you normally wouldn’t expect someone to cross dimensions to attack you.

I get it. It has to be terrifying. I’d rather not experience it myself.

“Now, we can finally see each other face-to-face. And this will be the last time.”

“This is insane! Absolutely insane! How can you force your way into a world you can’t even perceive?! I can’t take it! What is this guy?!”

“So you’ve finally come over to our side, Hero Melia.”

Watching Melia wail and screech warmed my heart.

She had this air about her, you know? That whole “I’m not like the others” vibe.

Serves her right. All of humanity should be brought to tears by Al.

Besides, it’s just not fair that I’m the only one who gets dragged around and put through the wringer.

From now on, I’ll be sure to push him on others more proactively.

“Well, unfortunately, this is the end. Your ideology, your world peace, I will inherit it. Though, of course, my methods will be different.”

Though Al’s path diverged from Melia’s, their final goal of world peace was the same.

Only the process was different.

Melia sought peace by reducing the human population and placing it under her complete control.

Al sought peace by going around and slaughtering anyone he deemed evil, creating a world where evil could no longer sprout through a reign of terror.

…Wait a minute. Between these two, who’s the good guy? Are they both villains?

While I was pondering that, Al had raised me high, looking down on Melia.

“So you can die with peace of mind.”

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!”

Melia’s genuine scream echoed.

And with that, the butchered corpse of the traitorous Hero would be on display… or so it should have been.

“—!?”

sploosh

Something black erupted from the ground.

A heavy atmosphere, like a bottomless swamp.

It began to sink everything around it with a sickening slurp.

However, it wasn’t as if a bottomless swamp had suddenly appeared in this spot.

“Shadows?!”

Yes, shadows.

With the sun shining, the buildings and other objects had cast numerous shadows.

Those shadows were now writhing, sinking everything around them.

“Ugh, so gross…”

I couldn’t help but say it.

I mean, come on… it’s genuinely disgusting…

“Hm? That demon is gone, too…”

Sometime during the chaos, Rayphia had disappeared.

She had been unconscious, so she was likely swallowed by these shadows without any resistance.

Well, it’s not like I care if she dies or whatever…

“It’s absorbing them with shadows. Come to think of it, wasn’t there someone who used a power like this recently?”

“…There was. I thought I killed him, but it seems he survived.”

This couldn’t possibly be a natural phenomenon.

It was someone’s power.

And just the other day, we had faced off against a shadow-wielder, and Al had beaten him to a pulp.

Considering the organization he belonged to, this was clearly being done to rescue Rayphia and the others.

While I wondered what he would do next…

“There.”

“Hwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah?!”

Al threw me.

Hey, don’t you dare treat me so carelessly!

Just as I was about to hit a shadow that looked particularly dark, a man screamed and leaped out of it.

It was a demon, his body still painfully wrapped in bandages in several places.

It was one of the Demon Lord’s Four Heavenly Kings, Ludrick.

The same guy Al had beaten the crap out of once before.

“How did you know where I was?! I haven’t shown myself at all! This makes no sense!”

Ludrick was bawling from the get-go.

Just like Melia.

You know, for someone who first showed up acting like some kind of big shot, he’s really shriveled.

Is he going for a personality gap? It’s not cute.

“Being nonsensical is what Al is all about.”

“Why is his own partner saying that about him?!”

I told you I’m not his partner! I’ll kill you! I mean, Al will!

“Alvarado-san!”

“Hm?”

The one who called out was Melia, who had been wailing her eyes out just moments ago.

Most of her body was already sunk in shadow.

Seeing as Al’s body wasn’t in the shadows at all, it seemed this was intended less as an attack and more as a means of escape.

If one could travel through shadows, it was a fairly effective power.

As expected of one chosen to be among the Demon Lord’s Four Heavenly Kings.…But Al is a bugged character on a level where he can perceive and attack an enemy in a different dimensional subspace. Is this really going to work?

“I understand now, having nearly been killed by you. You are one of the most powerful individuals in this world. At the very least, I have never met anyone stronger than you.”

Neither have I.

I mean, if there were a bunch of insane guys like him, it would be hell, and if there was someone even crazier than Al, it would be the end of the world.

“That is why I wish to choose cooperation, not conflict. I believe you simply didn’t have the time to fully understand my ideals. …Or rather, I want to believe that.”

To be blunt, she just never wants to fight Al again, does she?

I get it. A man who inflicted trauma on two of the Demon Lord’s Four Heavenly Kings and made the Hero who betrayed humanity say she never wanted to fight him again.

…Just what is this guy?

“The next time we meet, I will not try to kill you. I will do everything in my power to have you agree with my ideology.”

“Is that so.”

She’s choosing persuasion over confrontation.

I don’t think that’s a bad idea at all, but I just can’t imagine Al being persuaded…

There are things like money and women that would make a normal man waver.

There’s a reason bribes and honey traps have been used since ancient times—they’re just that effective.

However, it would appear they are completely useless on Al.

“But there will be no next time.”

An overwhelming, negative magical power erupted from the holy sword Al was holding.…Wait a minute. Did I give him permission to use my power?

Why can he use a fraction of my power without my own permission? N-No, no, it must be my imagination. There’s no way he can…

“‘Lament of the Dead.’”