There wasn't much in the basement, but there was some gasoline that could be used as a fuel. I carefully looked around and noticed that there were many office desks in the basement, which seemed to be used to store ledger records. So...

"Found it!"

Finally, I saw a glimmer of hope.

I brought a lot of scrap paper, luckily they were well preserved and not damp.

"Tch, you humans are so ignorant!"

Holdos looked at the paper in my hand and then looked at the can of gasoline prepared on the ground. He disdainfully and mockingly said, his hands shrugged.

"My competence gun is useless, and now there's no source of fire. How can you afford to start a fire with this pile?"

"Hmph, I have a way, of course!"

I pulled out a hidden orange lighter I had prepared beforehand.

This was the only lighter in the entire basement, so... it had to work!

Click!

A spark but nothing else.

Click!

Another spark, this time there was a small flame, but it went out instantly.

I stared at the lighter, nervous, and pressed it for the third time!

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a big flame burst out, igniting the gasoline-soaked scrap paper on the ground.

"Wow!"

The fire burned fiercely, and I quickly backed away in fear.

"What kind of magic is this?!"

The blazing fire made Holdos and Teacher Fuyu widen their eyes in disbelief. They looked at me, whose face had turned black from the smoke, seemingly wanting me to explain.

"Hehe."

I threw the lighter in an arc, and it landed on Holdos's hand.

"What a strange weapon?!"

After a hint of pride flashed across his face, I excitedly gave him a thumbs up.

"You don't know, huh? This is human intelligence!"

...

In a cave deep in the mountains, Juxi, dressed in a white robe, sat in meditation as usual. However, today there was a hint of darkness in his eyes.

At this moment, a knight in silver armor appeared at the entrance of the cave and reported.

"My Lord, the time is almost up!"

"..."

"My Lord, the Frostrage Knights are ready and prepared to be deployed at any time."

"Hmm, I know!"

Juxi smiled as he approached the attendant, asking him.

"No one knows about this now, right?"

"Yes, besides you, no one knows!"

The silver knight bowed respectfully, unaware that death had quietly descended upon him!

"Heh... you're lying!"

Juxi's gaze suddenly turned fierce. Without even lifting a finger, black and red flames surrounded the attendant, spiraling upwards.

Before he could even let out a scream, the living person disappeared into thin air!

"Ah!"

Juxi sighed, feeling a bit disappointed.

"So few, not even enough to fill a tooth gap!"

A storm was brewing, and the water stains at the basement entrance froze into ice in the blink of an eye!

Huddled in the basement enjoying the barely sub-zero Celsius temperature, the area around the fire pit was barely ten degrees Celsius.

In short, among us, only Lan and I, along with Teacher Fuyu and Holdos, could move, while the others were suffering from severe cold.

"Cough... My throat feels like it's filled with ice shards!"

Yukari struggle to lean against the corner of the wall, coughing vehemently. Worriedly, I bend down to touch her hand... it's so cold!!

It's already freezing to the extreme!

"I can't hold on much longer..."

"I know, Yukari, just try to calm down for a moment."

"Huh..."

As I say this, I transfer a bit of vitality and flame into Yukari's body, giving her all of it in the end.

"Hopefully, this will get us through..."

After releasing the energy, I feel my limbs weaken a bit, but with the help of the recovery effects from the magic equipment, I quickly recover from the exhaustion.

The energy rushes into my body like a swarm of bees and then dissipates the fever from Yukari and the others.

It's been a long time since I felt this replenished, and my abilities continue to grow infinitely.

"..."

"Brother, the Magic Sword has evolved. Before the demon's blood reaches boiling point, it can completely restore your energy, but it will also increase the burden on your body, so be cautious and careful when using it!"

The gem on the handle of the Magic Sword twinkles with a peculiar blue light, and my little sister, who resides within the sword, reminds me.

"Be careful, I've detected an object we can plunder approaching. I suggest you leave this place first!"

"What are you saying?"

Just as I finally managed to calm Yukari and the others, I couldn't react in time when the ground started shaking violently!

Boom! Bang!

The whole basement starts to become unstable...

"Don't move, I'll go outside and check!"

"Don't be reckless, our magic equipment has already been sealed now, and you..."

Before Fuyu-sensei could finish speaking, I drew out the Magic Sword, which emits a black and dark light, startling Fuyu-sensei and the others once again. Meanwhile, Yukari and Chiyori have yet to wake up.

But compared to the current situation, these things are not important.

What's important is...

After seeing the appearance of that guy in the midst of the snowstorm, my pupils suddenly shrink, and I stand there dumbfounded.

A colossal aqua-blue mech... to be precise, it's a giant armor that can move on its own!!

In its hand is a giant sword even larger and longer than my Magic Sword. Every swing of its sword creates a crack on the ground. If it were to strike head-on... splatter...

The scene is too horrifying to imagine!

"Is this... a god or a demon?!"

My grip on the Magic Sword almost slips, but thankfully, my little sister reminds me just in time.

"Keep your mind steady, don't be frightened by its aura!"

"Ah...?"

In the instant I'm in a daze, the giant sword comes crashing down towards me. Unable to avoid it, I brace myself and clash head-on with its sword!

"Ah ah ah...!"

Bang---!!!

At the moment when our swords collide, apart from the area behind me, the rest is covered in a thick layer of ice.

"I managed to block it...?"

Though my hand feels a bit numb from the impact, the Ice Knight also staggers backward several steps.

"Die, die, die!"

I was surprised when I heard this. The guy, who didn't look like a human at all, could actually speak human language!

"What is it saying?"

Yukari and the others couldn't understand, but this is actually the language of our country, my native dialect!

"He's saying... he!"

"Ah...!!"

The Ice Knight trembled slightly and swung his sword towards me.

"Leave it to me, let me handle him."

"Huh?"

The sword suddenly stopped in midair, and even the snowflakes that hadn't fallen yet in front of me seemed to have turned into museum exhibits.

Suddenly, a bare-chested man appeared behind me.

His hair was so long that it reached his heels and looked like it had never been cut before!

"Comrade, our bond has just begun. Now, lend your body to me with peace of mind."

"Why?"

"... Do you want your companions to die because of you?"

The man pointed indifferently at Lan and Yukari, behind me, as if threatening.

"If you understand, stop wasting time! Get rid of him quickly..."

In such a dangerous situation, he seemed indifferent, as if he could easily kill him at will...

...If even the Ice Knight, such a huge creature, could be stopped, it shouldn't be difficult to kill him easily, right?

"Alright, give it to me quickly. If you don't want your companions to die because of you."

"Hold on a second!"

I felt something was wrong and looked at him contemptuously, instantly enraged.

"I almost believed your nonsense. Don't try to deceive me. Why did this thing come here because of me?"

"Hehe, you think it came here for a walk?"

The long-haired nonconformist man laughed, holding his stomach, but then he spoke seriously.

"He came looking for you, or more accurately, looking for trouble with us. I don't dislike him, though!"

"Alright, alright, stop talking. You can do whatever you want. Just protect Yukari and Lan. I'm willing to do anything!"

"Hehehe, anything... It's actually not that exaggerated. I just want to borrow your body, but if you're not comfortable with it, you can take it back anytime. After all, I no longer have spiritual power."

He said this with a somewhat bleak smile. After all, he used to be a prominent figure.

But now, he had to ask for help from a junior, which made me sigh at the decline of the mighty!

Crackling! In Yukari and Lan's eyes, I suddenly became terrifying, and my gaze became much sharper than before!

"Now, it's my turn for the war!"

After the dense ice fog dissipated, "I" suddenly appeared in the center of the ice, except that my eyes had become darker.

Different parts of my body also started to change significantly, and blood slowly seeped out. Gradually, even my vision turned crimson!

I was clad in black armor made of coagulated blood, with blood flowing on its surface...

At this moment, Juxi, deep in the cave, slowly opened his eyes, revealing a hint of ecstatic joy, and whispered.

"You despicable creature, I have finally waited... Oh, Demon Lord!"

The air was filled with an incredibly mad power, as if releasing the battle desire suppressed for so many years.

"Tsk... So it's you, the barbarian!"

"Who are you...?"

With a swish, "I" blocked the icy aura released by the sword and looked at it with a cold smile.

"It's been so long, and you're still so powerful, even stronger than before!"

Facing an enemy several times larger than oneself, this "I" showed no signs of negligence, but rather grew more interested in the current atmosphere.

"Hey, if you're willing to obey me, you won't have to suffer this pain anymore!"

The Demon Lord, devouring all things to increase strength, and conveniently able to replicate and use the sorcererompetence they have come into contact with once.

"Roar, die!"

The Ice Knight let out a desperate roar!

This got me a little worried about that "I", because is this determination to die already set in stone?

"Tsk, you still enjoy fighting so much! You're just as annoying as me..."

After a gust of wind swept through like scattered clouds, "I" appeared behind him once again, and he, along with everyone else, didn't see the movements of that "I" clearly!

However, the Ice Knight's chest now had a gaping hole...

"Is this game over?!"

"I" licked my tongue and sighed somewhat unsatisfied.