“My name is Chrono. I am the ‘Black Nightmare Berserker’ Chrono. I’ll take you on, so come at me!”
Since I went through all this trouble, I might as well provoke them with a fitting line.
If I don’t show my willingness to engage, they might not come at me either.
“Chrono… Oh, so it’s you, the infamous ‘Demon of Alsace,’ and ‘Nightmare of Galagad,’ that Chrono! Hahaha, this is great! If I can take down a demon like you, who has committed endless atrocities, the position of general won’t be just a dream!!”
I wasn’t aware my name had become so well-known.
However, I don’t mind. Yes, I’m your enemy. The name of the man who is a demon that will destroy the Crusaders.
“I’ve heard rumors that you’ve even defeated the Seventh Apostle; allow me to verify this myself—let’s go!!”
Unbeknownst to me, Sariel, the former Seventh Apostle, was watching right above my head as Great Hogan charged straight at me.
It seems like a one-on-one duel is indeed approved, as the Crusader soldiers waiting behind are only cheering and show no intention of firing arrows or magic at me.
On the other hand, I saw no signs of an attack from the Spada Army either.
They must be busy dealing with the aftermath of the destroyed main gate. For them, it’s likely a chance to buy some precious time by letting this farce of a one-on-one duel play out.
Surely they didn’t genuinely think they shouldn’t interfere in the one-on-one fight.
“Uooohhhh, roar, blazing storm, ‘Flame Cannon’!!”
What he was raising above his head was a red poleaxe.
The blade of the axe drew a curvy line like flickering flames, swirling with roaring flames. It seems he’s adding ‘Flame Cannon’ to it.
The spectacle of him swinging the flame-wreathed axe is indeed flashy, and it makes sense he’d call himself the ‘Demon King of the Storm’—but it’s all just bluster.
“—’Black Calm: Shock'”
With my first strike, I deflected the incoming flaming axe.
If we were to exchange blows up close, I would be exposed to the searing heat of the swirling flames, but as long as I’m wearing the ‘Tyrant’s Armor’ up to my helmet, it’s no issue. This level of heat is well within Miria’s heat resistance range, and in fact, being hit by Fiona’s attack magic is hotter.
Ignoring the blinding flames, the axe is merely a downward swing. It makes sense for him to lose if we’re clashing straight on with my martial arts.
“Nuuh!?”
“It’s over.”
It was easy to deliver the finishing blow to Great Hogan, who had been thrown off balance after having his axe deflected. There was no need to use martial arts anymore.
Even without doing anything, just swinging the ‘Haunted Grave’ will yield an incredible cut with super resonance. Just like that, I could lightly graze his neck and, despite a bit of armor, it would slice right through.
“Guboh, gooooh…”
As blood gushed from his neck and he blew bubbles of blood from his mouth, Great Hogan fell off his horse, completely powerless.
The horse just trotted along and walked under the main gate. An ordinary cavalry horse bears no guilt; there’s no need to pursue.
“Who’s next?”
Surely there can’t be just this one man.
I am the infamous evil demon. If I take heads, the rewards will be as I wish, and the priests of the Cross Religion guarantee it.
There are more than a hundred thousand of you. There must be plenty of guys itching to make a name for themselves!
“I am Zamudin! The greatest swordsman of the Sinclair Western Grand Duchy!”
“I am the vanguard of the ‘Thunderhead Legion’ under Baron Moldovi—”
“The magnificent grand mage of illusions!”
“O evil demon, will you purify me with my holy sword!!”
Slash, slash, slash. I simply cut down those who come at me one after another.
I cut down an oddly postured swordsman, cleaved through a knight charging at me with a spear, and maimed a female knight who attacked with a glowing sword right in half.
The only ones who presented a bit of challenge were the magicians, who had been busy chanting spells, but I smashed through their defensive magic, blowing them to pieces.
Despite their grandstanding, these guys are at best Rank 3 in skill. They might be better than ordinary infantry, but they aren’t much of a threat. So far, Great Hogan has been the strongest.
“This is the Vaulton brothers you’re up against!”
“Hyaaah, I’m coming, big bro!!”
Just as more than ten challengers came at me, someone seemed to have given up on going one-on-one, and now two of them were coming at me.
The younger brother charged straight at me, while the older brother circled to my right, likely cautious of gunfire. They were both closing in with considerable speed, possibly using movement-based martial arts to do so.
While they were at it, they were quick enough to launch a simultaneous attack. As brothers, their cooperative synergy must be exceptional.
“Hitsugi, go play a little prank.”
“Roger that!!”
If they’re going two-on-one, then it’s fine for me to borrow my partner’s abilities, right?
Hitsugi happily agreed, but the prank she executed was small and quiet. She merely sprouted a little tentacle at the feet of the charging younger brother.
Just like falling into a simple trap made of intertwined grass, he got his foot caught by the small looped tentacle and, propelled by his martial arts speed, ended up tumbling dramatically forward.
Sliding right in front of me, the younger brother arrived just as the older brother charged in.
The axe in his hand was raised high, as if he wouldn’t stop his attack.
At that moment, I calmly struck.
Using the reach of the polearm, ‘Haunted Grave,’ I cleaved the older brother in two before he could dodge his jump attack.
“Ah, big broooooo!!”
With blood raining down from being cut in half, the older brother’s dying scream echoed from below as the younger brother looked up in distress. But honestly, I think worrying about your brother is the least of your concerns right now.
“Merry.”
A gentle tug of the reins was all it took for Merry to rise up as if in agreement, then she lifted her sturdy front legs—squashing the brain of the younger brother who was screaming.
No need to waste trouble. If I’m going to attack someone who’s collapsed right in front of me, it’s quicker for Merry to stomp them.
There’s no blade and no magic involved. But a horse with such tremendous leg strength, far surpassing that of a human, can deliver a kick with overwhelming force. Merry, being both a giant and an undead horse, can unleash physical destruction beyond what a front-line warrior can muster.
“What’s wrong? Come on. I don’t mind if you want to bring three or four at a time.”
Swinging the ‘Haunted Grave,’ stained with blood, I provoke the challengers.
I still desire a one-on-one fight.
However, this bonus time for a leisurely delay seemed to be coming to an end.
“Magician Squad, brace yourselves!”
“Hold your big shields tight! His attack magic is formidable!!”
Before I knew it, the Crusader soldiers had formed a line before me.
Magicians stood in rows with their staves raised, having completed their incantations and glowing with their short staves.
In front of them, infantry stood large shields to protect the magicians.
If they’re opponents that I can’t possibly match in a one-on-one, then the common strategy is to shoot them from a distance to whittle down their numbers. The big shield that two infantrymen are holding is surely enough to deflect at least ordinary magic bullets.
They’ve analyzed my capabilities based on my one-on-one fight and are responding accordingly. It seems a competent commander is at work here, but they’re being overly conventional. I haven’t shown all my abilities yet.
In any case, this is where the real battle starts, facing a large army alone. I might as well have my fun while I can. After all, I’ve gone and named myself the ‘Black Nightmare Berserker,’ so I can’t back down now.
“—’Magic Bullet'”
I called forth the original Magic Bullet, the pseudo-fully steel bullet, in overwhelming numbers. A plethora of dark bullets surrounded me, forming a double, no, triple layered wall.
“Fire!!”
At a single command, a flurry of attack magic was unleashed from the magician squad.
First came a light magic attack, excellent in speed. Judging by the size, it’s the mid-tier ‘White Light Arrow.’
Following closely, a fire-based mid-tier attack magic, ‘Flame Spear,’ came in.
And lastly, the wind attribute’s mid-tier area attack magic, ‘Cyclone Blade,’ approached.
This cascading attack of light and flames was cleverly followed by the wind’s area magic, fanning the flames and expanding both impact and range. Not bad at all.
However, it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t hit. As long as I’m not standing within the attack area of this wide-range assault, it’s of no concern.
“I’m charging in—’Demon King of the Storm!'”
I launched Merry again.
Having just jumped through the gate, I’ve already demonstrated this leap once. But perhaps they didn’t expect me to jump right back to their side.
This was a clear oversight by their commander, who only thought to attack in a straight line without covering the skies.
As I flew over the magical attacks unleashed simultaneously, I soared above the oncoming tide of light, fire, and wind while the stunned opponents gaped upwards in surprise.
“—’All Out Fire!'”
Merry’s massive body trampled over the soldiers, and the impact of her landing sent surrounding foes flying.
At the same time, I released the magic bullets, firing in a 360-degree direction.
The majestic sound of thousands of bullets being unleashed and the black muzzle flashes lit up, echoing countless screams in response.
But my salvo was far from over.
“—Magic Sword: Blade Storm”
What I called forth now was the veteran blackening sword. The blade, entirely black, glittered with red lines.
Now that Lily has mastered Karamala, I can acquire as many mass-produced long swords as I want.
With the ‘Infinite Embrace’ cape billowing behind me and the ‘Shadow Space’ at my feet, I launched swords like a fountain.
A hundred glowing red-hot blackening swords rose into the air, all aiming their tips in every direction.
“—’All Out Fire!'”
Trailing dark flames, I detonated the flames hidden within their blades.
The pitch-black explosions reverberated, sweeping away enemies in the vicinity. With this level of mass, the explosion radius would surely encompass all fellow soldiers in the area.
This was more than enough for my first volley. I had secured just the right area to rampage while still mounted on Merry.
However, there was also an enormous army filling the main street. They would soon surround me, rushing in with numbers to try and crush me.
“—’Magic Bullet Barrage!'”
The ‘The Greed’ in my hands began to roar.
As I fired, enemy soldiers dropped left and right, but even with such a machine gun, there were still blind spots when fighting alone.
The shooting direction completely suppressed the enemy’s advance, but some soldiers, seemingly going for a flanking maneuver, closed the distance from my sides.
There were even groups trying to circle behind me to cut off my escape route.
“Hitsugi, watch my back—’Demon King Sword!'”
“Leave it to me! Tonight’s pup is hungry for blood, goooo!!”
I called upon the blackening greatsword that had been a great help during my time with Ash. Of course, since returning to Spada, I’ve replenished my supply. Ten swords in total.
With five greatswords rising slowly from the shadows on each side, behind me, ‘Devourer’ appeared with a rattling of chains, revealing its fangs.
The ‘Magic Sword,’ which can be operated without touching the sword, is a black magic initially used to cover one’s blind spots when facing multiple opponents. This current situation, surrounded by countless enemies, is precisely the correct time to deploy it.
And Hitsugi, along with her tentacles and ‘Devourer,’ would respond to the enemies on her own. With no blind spots behind me, I was in an excellent combat stance.
“Let’s go!”
Having readied myself for battle, I began a grand upheaval against the thousands of enemies.
While I scattered magic bullets among the crowd, I urged Merry forward, slicing down those who dared to come into range with the ‘Haunted Grave.’
While concentrating a black storm-like assault at the front, I used the ‘Demon King Sword’ to cover the sides. Whenever I felt overburdened, I used ‘Blade Storm’ to send foes flying.
So I continued my wild dance, chasing the enemies further away from where I had initially cleared the area.
One by one, enemies fell, but due to those pouring in from all sides like a lunatic tide, my encirclement was undoubtedly narrowing.
What’s more, as my allies continued to surge forward, sporadic feedback from attack magic started to fly my way. It seems they’ve resigned themselves to the fact that it can’t be helped in this situation, as they began launching spells with the awareness they might hit allies.
The infantry, acting as disposal pawns, formed a wall, making it difficult for any magicians waiting on the other side to find a shooting lane. I would have to use defensive magic to protect myself.
However, every moment I focus on defense is a moment I lose counting on attacking. As the speed of enemy extermination slowed down, they would surely close the encirclement. At this rate, it may soon become necessary for Merry to halt.
How long had it been since I started my chaos? Five minutes? Ten? If I asked Miria, she could provide the exact timing, but… Regardless, I was reaching my limit.
“I believe I’ve killed enough—Now, sing, ‘Dark Temple of the Requiem!'”
While flamboyantly slashing down enemies, I raised the ‘Haunted Grave.’
In response to my request, the cursed blade trembled majestically and began to sing loudly.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!
The ear-piercing scream of a woman rang out, a mad melody that summoned evil spirits. As far as this song’s voice reached, the area was transformed into an unclean domain swirling with the thoughts of the dead.
Within this barrier, the living go mad, and the dead reawaken.
Now, how many living souls remain within this ‘Dark Temple of the Requiem’? How many dead lay within?
The answer is, many.
“—Ooooaahhh.”
“Wooogaaaahhhhhh!!”
The soldiers who had braced their blades against me with their lives on the line now screamed in madness.
From the blood-drenched ground arose groans and the dead began to stand.
“What is this!?”
“The corpses are moving!”
“Undead!!!”
“Oi, what happened? Stand firm!!”
“Sto-Stop it! I’m an ally—”
The hellish battlefield transformed into a true hell filled with madmen and the dead.
The unluckiest among them are those who, without being possessed by evil spirits, still cling to their sanity. There must be two types: those merely lucky enough not to be possessed yet and those with innate resistance.
At a glance, about half the soldiers seem to retain their sanity, but… the other half have already gone mad.
Moreover, nearly all corpses, barring the severely mangled, rise as zombies awakened by the evil spirits.
I had continued to apply blackening to increase the rate of zombies rising from the dead. You might not see it through the blood and meat scattered everywhere, but the ground you stand on has already been stained pitch black.
Once even a bit of black magic power seeps into those fallen bodies, it becomes the best source of vitality for the evil spirits. This is just a little tactic to maximize the effectiveness of the ‘Dark Temple of the Requiem.’
Thanks to this, the risen zombies bounced about energetically, joyfully leaping at the living humans.
“Now go, everyone here is deserving of falling into hell—the invaders!”
Screams, roars, and death throes.
In the midst of this chaos, the ‘Haunted Grave’ continues to echo the song of death.
The situation has completely reversed.
They had only rushed in based on a simple order to take out the single enemy before them. Once half of their allies suddenly go mad and the dead rise as zombies to attack, there’s no way they can respond.
Allies turn into enemies, and zombies creep in from below.
As their allies’ charges keep surging from behind, they can’t retreat. Yet if they try to escape out of fear and confusion, it will only create further chaos among the reinforcements.
At this point, it’s completely out of control. A pandemonium of allies killing each other.
“Shut up!”
“The enemy is a demon race; do not falter just because a few low-class undead have appeared!!”
“Honestly, to lose one’s sanity to mere evil spirits, these young folks nowadays lack true faith.”
“Do not let your heart waver; just pray. We, the priests of the Cross Religion, shall use the light of the White God to purify all impure existences.”
Surrounded by crazed foes and zombies, I noticed the priests of the Cross Religion had finally arrived on the scene.
Of course, this is their area of expertise. Back when I was pretending to be a priest in a settlement, it was common sense in Sinclair that even the most rustic priest would have learned the arts to exorcise evil spirits and purify the dead.
If a congregation of enthusiastic priests willingly accompanying the Crusaders comes together, they could surely purify a horde of hundreds or thousands of zombies all at once.
“But you came a little late—Heavy Cavalry Corps, commence attack.”
“Yes, my lord.”
As soon as my deputy commander Ain responded, the sound of gunfire rang out from the Spada’s defensive line.
Finally, the arrival of my Heavy Cavalry Corps.
Our soldiers are all equipped with ancient weapons that are currently operational. From full-auto ‘Storm Rifles’ that can fire hundreds of rounds in rapid succession to the ‘Vortex Machine Gun,’ boasting overwhelming suppression capabilities—it also comes with launchers that explode spectacularly.
All of them unleashed their firepower at once.
The rain of bullets and artillery exploded into the ranks of the Crusaders. The priests who had eagerly come out to purify the zombies were also consumed by the flaming explosions.
As Spada’s fierce counterattack began, they could no longer concentrate solely on me. My role was to buy time until my Heavy Cavalry Corps arrived and secured the defense at this gate.
Though the fully armed Heavy Cavalry may lose their mobility as cavalry in a defensive battle, their firepower from ancient weaponry will surely be fully unleashed. Their defense will be vastly superior to Alsace. This time, I won’t allow you to break through.
“Let’s head back, Merry. I’m sorry for dragging you into such reckless time-wasting.”
With a grunt as if saying it’s fine, Merry split through the forces of madness and death, boldly walking towards the main gate.
February 19, 2020
The comic version of ‘Black Demon King’ Volume 5 will be released on February 20. Thank you for your support.
On the cover, Ai, with a face resembling that of a heroine, and Sariel, making her first appearance somewhat casually on the cover. Since she doesn’t get any screen time during the Alsace defense battle, at least it’s something…
Also, I completely forgot due to being busy, but make sure you don’t miss the latest chapter published on Comic Walker and Nico Nico Seiga. This month features a valuable color page. Ai looks unnecessarily cute. Having tracked through to the latest chapter, I already know her identity, so she isn’t as cute, but even so, the power of art to make something cute is truly remarkable.