The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
"Heh."
Altera finally caught up with the intruders, her eyes widening in surprise.
In her line of sight were Rain and Yuki.
The two of them covered each other’s blind spots as they fought the approaching copies of Gigabrand.
They had no reason or sense of self, yet their power surpassed what it had been before.
And there were more than a dozen of them.
Normally, no one could possibly stand against that.
No one could endure that overwhelming destructive force.
Resistance should have been impossible—only being crushed.
And yet…
"Fireball Multi-Shot!"
"First Sword… Setsugekka!"
No matter how long the fight continued, Rain and Yuki refused to fall.
They had accumulated some wounds, but only that.
None were fatal, and their movements did not stop.
If anything, fatigue seemed to vanish; with time, they only grew faster.
They blocked, deflected, and dodged the swarm of Gigabrand copies…
And struck back.
They couldn’t defeat one in a single blow.
Then they only needed to strike again—and again—until it died.
As if saying exactly that, the two continued their relentless assault…
And at last, the third copy shattered.
"Whoa, I'm shocked. What is that? Are they really human? Hmm, amazing."
Altera was genuinely impressed.
Even if they were copies, they were still the Four Heavenly Kings.
To not only survive after so many were thrown at them—but to gradually turn the tide?
"Hmm… If I used those humans as seedbeds, would an incredible demon be born? But offering them as sacrifices to the Demon King is tempting too… ahh, I can’t decide."
"Lady Altera."
Reez caught up.
She had temporarily left the front lines to take care of a task Altera asked of her.
"Ah, hey hey. Welcome back, Reez-chan."
"As you ordered, Lady Altera, the facility has been disposed of."
"I see, I see. Good girl, thank you. Reez-chan, you're so capable—I really love that. Since our location was exposed, leaving the facility intact would've caused trouble."
"Please don't mention it. My duty this time is to support you, Lady Altera. But, if you believe I’ve been useful…"
"You wanted the copy-technology, right? Sure, that’s fine. I never intended to keep it to myself. Well, I won’t give it to the Moderates… but you’re okay, Reez-chan. Neutral faction or not, you're basically like us."
"My thanks."
Even as their ominous conversation continued, Rain and Yuki fought on.
Had it already been an hour since the battle began?
Normally, their stamina should have run out long ago; their movements should have dulled.
Yet Rain and Yuki did not stop.
They accelerated further, clashing with the copies head-on.
Another one was destroyed.
"Ohh, amazing amazing. Seriously amazing. For ordinary humans to go that far… are they perhaps heroes?"
"They are not formally recognized, but I’ve heard they possess the qualifications."
"I seeee."
Altera watched Rain and Yuki with sparkling eyes.
Anyone who didn’t know her would have thought she looked like a girl admiring heroes.
But her insides were completely different.
Altera’s heart was swirling with darkness, constantly thinking of grotesque, wicked things.
"Hey hey, Reez-chan."
"Yes?"
"Because of them, the humans we worked so hard to capture all escaped. That’s disappointing, right? But don’t you think those two could be substitutes?"
"That is…"
"If we used them as seedbeds, I bet we’d get demons with unbelievable power. Or maybe offering them as sacrifices is better? They look like they have souls so rich the Demon King might awaken early. Ah, but but…"
Altera grinned.
Despite her childlike appearance, the smile was evil, twisted, and repulsive…
A terrifying smile that seemed to spill pure malice.
"Maybe I should just make them my toys♪"
"…"
"Ahh, that might be good. I said it without thinking, but… yes yes. I’ll play with them a lot, spoil them, be gentle… and at the end, I’ll gulp them down. If I do that, I’ll get even stronger."
Altera had gained her power by consuming others.
That was how she had grown far beyond her limits.
"What do you think, Reez-chan?"
"Let me think… yes."
After brief thought, Reez smiled sweetly.
"I too would like Rain to retire soon, so I think it’s a wonderful idea. If you ‘eat’ those two humans together, Lady Altera, you will become even stronger."
"Right, right!? Ahh, now I’m getting excited. Who cares about the ones who escaped? I want those two. I want to eat them soooo badly."
Altera, thrilled, looked ready to charge into the frontlines immediately, but—
"Lady Altera, please wait a little longer. Since we’re already using the copies, we should let them work. They probably can’t defeat those two, but they can exhaust them. It might take time… but eventually, they’ll be unable to move. After that, you may do as you please."
"Ehh, that makes me sound sneaky."
She pouted…
But immediately smiled again.
"But but, that also sounds fun♪"
Altera watched Rain and Yuki.
Even in a situation like this, they didn’t give up.
Without despair, they continued to hold onto hope.
And she wanted to crush that hope.
She wanted to appear just when they believed they had survived everything—and drag them into despair.
What kind of faces would they make?
Would they scream? Cry? Beg for help?
Just imagining it made Altera’s body tremble with delight.
"Ahh… I can’t take it anymore♪"
Altera wore a smile overflowing with ecstasy.
It was nothing short of demonic.
A heart warped into finding joy in others’ suffering.
A mind concerned only with herself.
Just as humans whispered…
Altera was the most demon-like demon of all.
She wanted Rain and Yuki.
She wanted them now.
She wanted wanted wanted wanted wanted wanted wanted wanted wanted—
Altera forced herself not to jump into the battlefield.
She chose to watch the situation unfold.
And then…
At last, Rain and Yuki’s stamina neared zero.
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