The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
"Haa… haa… haa…"
"Ugh… kuh… haa, haa…"
Yuki and I fought, and fought, and kept fighting…
How many hours had we been swinging our swords nonstop?
We managed to defeat ten Gigabrands, but as expected, our stamina was nearly gone.
My body felt heavy, my breathing ragged, my focus slipping.
More wounds accumulated, blood flowed, and my body began to grow cold.
If we didn’t get treatment soon, it might be dangerous…
But our enemies were still there.
It seemed reinforcements had finally stopped—no new Gigabrands were appearing.
Five remained.
But… that wasn’t all.
The demons had caught up as well, forming ranks behind the Gigabrands.
At the very back stood Altera and an unfamiliar female demon.
The battle was far from over.
"Yuki… you okay?"
"Of course. I’m a little tired… just a little. How about you, Rain?"
"Also just a little."
"Ahaha."
"Hah!"
Even in a situation like this, we laughed.
We could laugh.
That was proof that we were still okay.
That we could still keep fighting.
Not just for our comrades.
The lives of the people who had been captured rested on our shoulders.
So we would fight on, to the very end.
"Yuki. Let’s wipe out the remaining Gigabrands all at once."
"Enticing idea, but can we actually do that?"
"We’ve got one magic stone left—everyone’s power is inside it. If I use this to activate Kusanagi’s third form, we’ll get decent destructive power."
"The thing we used to take down the first one, right? But hitting them all at once… I’m a bit worried about firepower."
"I’ve got a little trump card. I think we can make it work."
If possible, I didn’t want to use that trump card…
But this wasn’t the time to be saving anything.
"Got it. Then let's lure all the Gigabrands to a single point."
"Thanks. That really helps."
"The location should be right in front of—huh?"
Yuki suddenly made a puzzled face.
Following his gaze, I saw the Gigabrands had stopped moving.
They split to the left and right, opening a path.
The demons behind them also stepped aside.
Down that path, Altera and the female demon began walking toward us.
What was going on?
Did she want to finish us off herself?
But there was no hostility coming from her, no killing intent.
"Yahho~"
Before long, Altera appeared before us and cheerfully greeted us.
She was so casual and smiling it didn’t feel like we were in the middle of a battle.
I had already assumed she had this sort of personality, but…
Not feeling even the slightest intent to fight—what did that mean?
"You two are amazing. Really, I’m impressed. Not only did you hold your own against countless copies, but you even fought with the momentum to annihilate them. Mhm mhm, I truly think it’s incredible."
"…We can’t afford to die here, and we can’t let everyone down."
Her intentions were unclear, but for now it seemed Altera wanted to talk.
I needed a moment to rest.
And I wanted to know what she was thinking.
So I accepted the conversation.
"Honestly, I thought you’d both get wiped out immediately. I mean, they’re Gigabrands. Even if they’re copies with no reason or ego, their strength is boosted. Normally, grimy little humans would get crushed right away."
"…"
"But… you two are different. Instead of getting crushed, you fought back and crushed them. Mhm mhm, really, it’s incredible. You should feel honored; I hardly ever praise anyone."
"Well, thanks for that."
"I like you two. I really do."
Altera smiled.
Not a cruel smile—this time, it was innocently childlike.
And then… she held out her hand.
"Why don’t you become mine?"
Smiling brightly, she made that invitation.
"…What?"
"Wh-what do you mean…?"
The development was so unexpected that Yuki and I could only stare, dumbfounded.
Altera wasn’t laughing at our reaction—she continued speaking calmly.
"I saaaiiid, why don’t you become mine?"
"Meaning… you want us to join the demons?"
"Yup, exactly♪"
Was she… serious?
But she was completely serious.
As if to prove it, she continued trying to recruit us.
"I didn’t expect humans to be this strong. Really, it shocked me. Normally, I’d crush you here and now—and that would be so fun—but hmm… you know? I’m a smart girl who knows how to calculate gains and losses. Sooooo—"
Altera smiled.
Cold, sharp, and cruel.
"Instead of squashing you like bugs, I figured it’d be better to make you my subordinates. Mhm mhm, I’m just sooo kind. Kyahahaha♪"
"And you think we’d accept after hearing all that?"
"You’re refusing? Then you’ll die, you know?"
"…"
"And if you become my subordinates, you’ll get to do lots and lots of fun things. Want to know a secret? Killing humans is really fun♪ First you show them overwhelming power, then watch them fall into despair. Then make them beg for their lives… and after that, you twist off their limbs one by one and kill them slowly. Their screams are just—mmm—the best♪"
"You…!"
"And killing human women and children is fun too♪ You roast the kid in front of the mother who’s screaming ‘not my child!’ And the look on her face is just—ahaha, ahahahaha! No, no, thinking about it makes me laugh again. That one really got me good!"
"You truly are…"
Yuki and I both felt our anger rising.
Whether she noticed or not, Altera continued excitedly listing the “benefits” of joining her.
"Oh, and you’ll get even stronger! I’ll make you demons, not humans. I can’t give exact numbers but hmm… you’d probably get at least ten times stronger? Tempting, right?"
Humans… becoming demons?
Unlike Horizon’s Edgar, this sounded like a fundamental transformation.
Could such a thing really be possible?
If so…
"You two seem like you’d get really strong, so I’d make you my favorites. Oh! And since I don’t have a personal guard right now, I’ll make both of you my royal guard. Isn’t that amazing? Doesn’t the thought alone make you tremble with excitement? Doesn’t it fill you with bliss?"
"…"
"So then… won’t you two become mine?"
Yuki and I looked at each other once…
Then we glared at Altera.
"WE REFUSE!!!"
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