Summoning

It wasn't that they had let their guard down. It was just that they certainly hadn't expected this.

That someone would launch a preemptive attack so one-sidedly, without even attempting to talk or introduce themselves.

Inside the simple fortress created with earth magic, Sei and the others were analyzing the combat capabilities of the hero who had clearly become their enemy.

A railgun. A weapon that every man wants to fire at least once.

Even on Earth, it had been completed theoretically, but neither Sei nor Mako knew of any stories about it being deployed in actual combat.

For some reason, the line "It's a railgun! Fire the railgun!" remained stuck in their heads.

Even though it was called a simple fortress, it was a wall created with earth magic at a hardness far exceeding concrete or steel. Considering the power of that initial strike, this should manage to defend against it.

"But a railgun? Can you really defeat a god with a railgun?"

Mako, who still hadn't heard the details about defeating the Wicked God, raised a natural question.

Kukuri and Laila also had interested expressions, but since they didn't have knowledge of railguns themselves, they focused on listening to the explanation.

"About that… ah…"

"What is it?"

"The hero's magic power has completely recovered."

"Didn't they just drink an MP potion normally?"

Since Mako didn't use much magic, she'd forgotten, but consecutive consumption of MP potions causes potion sickness.

That's why Ria and Carla had thoroughly trained Sei until he obtained the Gift of ultra-high-speed magic power recovery.

Apparently long ago, Carla had suffered an unexpected defeat against an inferior opponent due to running out of magic power. So she had Sei train to obtain the Gift of ultra-high-speed magic power recovery.

However, the Magic Creation Hero had approached the method of magic power recovery from a different perspective.

And then a massive death sense detection. The direction it was reacting to was directly above.

The maximum destructive magic Sei could use, Meteor Shower, assaulted the group.

Lavi transformed into her divine dragon form and protected the group.

With Sei's magic barrier and Lavi's defensive power, it was possible to nullify Meteor Shower.

On top of that, Lavi was spitting out breath attacks left and right, destroying the meteorites that would have hit directly.

Amidst the roar and flashes of light, the group still safely endured three Meteor Showers.

"M-Meteor Shower three times… what kind of magic power is that…?"

Laila spoke in a strained voice. On the other hand, Sei wasn't in a state to worry about that.

Three Meteor Showers worth. That was an amount of magic power that even he or Carla could manage.

But that wasn't the problem.

The hero's magic power seen on the map had completely recovered again.

The information conveyed from Ria had been correct.

The Gift of high-speed magic power recovery was certainly among the hero's Gifts. But this was a recovery speed that should be called ultra-ultra-high-speed magic power recovery. Or perhaps it should be called instant full recovery.

It was precisely because Sei himself possessed the Gift of ultra-high-speed magic power recovery that he could tell.

"I know the trick though…"

If they were using items called spirit medicine or divine sake that recovered life force and magic power and even cured status ailments, this recovery speed would make sense. In fact, Sei had one spirit medicine in his folder just in case. Ria had given him one that she received from another divine dragon.

Because of that, recovery items called spirit medicine or divine sake were precious, and shouldn't be something that could be prepared in large quantities.

(If it's as I was told, there should be a limit to instant recovery, but I wonder how much preparation they've done…)

Currently, the enemy was getting the jump on them over and over. Moving carelessly would be bad, but against an opponent with some unknown aspects, being purely defensive felt even worse.

"I'm using Meteor Shower."

Sei declared. Considering the distance between them, the shockwave would assault them here too. But with this fortress-level barrier, it should protect the group.

Sei's magic activated, and meteorites rained down on the hero 3 kilometers away.

Considering their high level and magical defense, this might not be enough to defeat them. No, it wouldn't defeat them. There was no way it could defeat them.

But the original goal was to have them return to Earth alive anyway. He at least wanted it to serve as a check.

Such thoughts from Sei were easily shattered.

The hero teleported and moved to a safe location.

Namely, they escaped from Meteor Shower's effective range, using the fortress where Sei and the others were holed up as a shield.

The shockwave assaulted the fortress, and sand, stones, and rocks flew over it.

After that settled down, Sei immediately jumped out from the shadow of Lavi's massive body and confronted the hero outside the fortress.

The Magic Creation Hero, Aoi Sora.

The boy whose name was one step away from being a DQN name was rather small in stature, with a lightly-built physique.

"You sure came at us suddenly…"

Sei drew his katana. Even so, he at least tried to talk, but—

Sora was the one who refused that.

'Heroic Spirit Summoning'

A magic circle expanded three-dimensionally in the air. It was summoning magic—and at the same time, necromancy techniques were incorporated into it.

'Militant Emperor Ryuke Riana'

Along with Sora's words, a human figure appeared from the magic circle.

"Eh…"

Even though he had prior knowledge, Sei couldn't hide his surprise.

The summoned thing was said to be a materialization of lingering thoughts remaining in this world without souls.

But that summoned undead resembled her far too much.

Namely, his master Ria.

If you looked closely, the details were different. Completely different. The height and build were different, but the aura she wore was somehow similar.

The black-haired, black-eyed woman drew the longsword at her waist. Her weapon was also different from Ria's.

However, the aura she emitted was very similar.

Militant Emperor Ryuke Riana.

One of the heroes of the First Millennium, the empress called the restorer of the empire that ruled the center of the Dragon Bone Continent at that time.

The first human in history to traverse the Dark Labyrinth where the Dark Dragon of that era slept, together with a hero.

Her essence was said to be that of a natural-born warrior.

A hero recorded in history was now before his eyes.

As his enemy.

Sei readied his katana. Even if it was a soulless existence, the threat level his Identify showed was high.

Having sword skill at level 10 meant reaching the limits of humanity.

(Damn it! He summoned an incredible vanguard!)

Mako landed beside Sei. She readied her spear against the Militant Emperor. Normally, with the two of them together, they would probably be evenly matched against this enemy.

'Heroic Spirit Summoning'

As if to plunge Sei and the others into despair, Sora activated his magic again.

'Demon King Luseria'

What appeared from the magic circle was a demon woman with jet-black wings on her back. The Tenyoku Clan Demon King who led the demons in the Second Millennium, defeated by Ars and his companions.

A Demon King with silver hair and red eyes who was also a magic user.

She was said to be an all-rounder who could handle both close combat and magical combat.

"H-hey Sei, don't those two look incredibly strong?"

Mako, standing next to him, didn't seem able to fully see through them with her Identify, but the levels of these two summoned beings were certainly high. High enough to surpass even Siegfried.

"The question is how much those things created with necromancy and summoning magic reproduce the real thing, though…"

The hero Sora had actually fought the Wicked God once and been defeated. And in that battle, he lost all of his companions.

The party that could be assembled on the Dragon Claw Continent was as powerful as the limits allowed, but they were completely no match for a highest-tier god.

He couldn't win with his own power. Then he just needed to prepare those who could win.

That was the technique he created by combining necromancy and summoning magic.

And there was one more magic he developed to play his trump card.

Magic crystals taken out from dimensional storage. He absorbed the magic power stored in them.

To replenish the magic power lost from summoning powerful beings. That's why he trained Space-time magic to be able to use dimensional storage.

Though it was limited to teleportation and dimensional storage, since teleportation magic was high-difficulty magic to begin with, his Space-time magic level had naturally risen as well.

'Skeleton Knight Summoning'

After summoning the Militant Emperor and Demon King, and recovering his magic power further, Sora this time gathered numbers.

Armed skeletons appeared from countless magic circles and headed toward the simple fortress.

It might be to distract Sei and the others' attention, but their awareness was certainly drawn there.

"Sei! We'll manage here somehow!"

Laila shouted, riding her voice on the wind. Certainly, they wouldn't have the luxury to pay attention to other things while facing these two opponents before them.

"I'm counting on you!"

Sei would face the Militant Emperor. Mako would face the Demon King.

Both were high-level existences, and normally not opponents Sei and the others could match.

But they weren't the real thing. There had to be some part where they were inferior to the originals.

And he understood that the moment their sword and his katana clashed once.

This summoned being's sword was light.

It was difficult to express accurately, but that's how Sei felt.

The swordsmanship was refined and the stats were high, but he didn't feel the ferocious mental strength necessary in battle.

(I can win this!)

If anything, he was more worried about Mako. The Demon King was flying through the air with those wings, attacking Mako with magic from long range.

Perhaps they should switch opponents, but there was no such opening. Sei decided to just quickly finish off the opponent before him.

The rapid rotation of the sword was raised up at the same moment it was swung down.

Sei dodged while deflecting with his katana that attack where he couldn't feel any weight.

While aiming for vital points, she also targeted fingertips and feet to rob combat ability.

Those movements were graceful, almost as if performing a dance.

That wasn't the attack Sei was waiting for.

Wait. Wait. Wait. Just keep dodging, deflecting, and wait for that one killing blow.

After the Militant Emperor continued ineffective attacks as if programmed, she suddenly changed her movement.

A thrust with all her power, a single killing strike.

And that was the strike Sei had been waiting for.

The Militant Emperor's sword pierced through his chest. But that was as calculated.

Sei's attack landed on the Militant Emperor whose movement stopped for an instant. He severed both wrists that held the sword.

It was a tactic that could only be taken if you were immortal. The Militant Emperor, whose combat ability had drastically decreased, still attacked with leg techniques.

Sei, having been pierced through the chest, naturally couldn't move quickly, and was blown away several meters as is.

"Gugh"

The sword that pierced his chest stirred up Sei's internal organs. When he somehow pulled out the sword, high-speed healing began from there.

The Militant Emperor's hands were also regenerating. Not as an original ability, but as the effect of Sora's healing magic.

But Sei was faster.

Whipping his half-regenerated body, he thrust in with his katana.

The knife the Militant Emperor threw, he received without even dodging. That blade couldn't penetrate Ria's specially-made armor.

The unarmed Militant Emperor fought Sei bare-handed as is, but as expected, the presence or absence of weapons made a big difference.

After a short while, the katana entered from the shoulder and reached the spine.

The Militant Emperor's body, having lost its life force, turned to dust and vanished.

Mako was struggling against the Demon King, but during that time Sora didn't summon anything new.

If he had summoned another existence at the Militant Emperor's level here, they would have been finished, so the magic crystals Sora had for magic power recovery were probably running low.

Thinking that way, it was also possible to aim for the enemy's magic depletion in a war of attrition. If that thing he used to defeat the Wicked God wasn't used, it seemed like they could somehow manage.

'Heroic Spirit Summoning'

But Sora easily shattered their hopes.

'Hero Thor'

From within the magic circle, a giant warrior clad in jet-black armor appeared.

The hero summoned in the First Millennium who defeated the Demon King together with the Militant Emperor and others.

Sei had heard stories that he had lived until relatively recently.

The giant hero blocked Sei's path as he tried to go help Mako.

He readied a greatsword befitting his massive frame and faced Sei.

"Give me a break…"

Sei couldn't help but complain.

Thor's sword was heavy, sharp, and fast.

Not only that, but there was technique there. From Sei's senses, perhaps it rivaled even Ria. He was barely deflecting with his katana and avoiding fatal wounds, but the armor was being sliced through and small damages were accumulating.

If he just stayed on the defensive with his regeneration ability and recovery ability, he could somehow manage, but there was absolutely no opening to attack from his side.

The method used against the Militant Emperor wouldn't work on this hero. If he took one hit, his body would be bisected as is.

Even attacking with magic couldn't put a scratch on the hero's armor.

He'd heard that Hero Thor could hardly use any magic, but he had countermeasures against magic and overwhelming sword techniques.

When all was said and done, the moment close combat was forced, Sei's chances of winning against this opponent had become low.

But the match wasn't decided yet.

An overwhelming death sense detection reaction. It came from behind.

What Sei barely dodged was Lavi's breath fired from behind.

Lavi's power was supposed to be conserved as much as possible until Sora played his trump card, but using it here was unavoidable.

The breath enveloped the hero—and afterward, his figure could be seen standing there while his armor had taken damage.

Sei charged forward with all his strength toward there. The hero moved to respond, but his movements were slightly dull.

Sei ran past while mowing down the torso, and thrust at the throat as he turned around.

The hero tried to dodge with superhuman reflexes, but couldn't make it completely in time. The blade entered through a gap in the armor and severed the carotid artery.

A fatal wound. The hero's body also turned to dust and vanished.

Sora made a mistake here.

Even though two heroes known as masters of close combat had been defeated in succession, it's not like the enemy warriors were heading toward him. Their role as stalling had been completely fulfilled.

The magic crystals in dimensional storage were still plentiful. He could summon heroic spirits several more times, and in the first place, if he summoned even more heroic spirits, the battle situation would be reversed.

But actually, there was a limit to controlling summoned heroic spirits at once. Sora's limit was three at a time. Even so, that exceeded Sei and the others' combat power. And Mako was being toyed with by the Demon King attacking from the air.

What was significant was probably the existence of the divine dragon.

What floated in his mind was the foolishness of piecemeal commitment of forces.

Though that was knowledge obtained from war story novels and such, in this case it was possible to whittle down the enemy in a war of attrition.

Battle is lightning-fast. At the same time, it's an endurance contest.

Therefore his judgment, considering the forces of both sides and their deployment, was indeed a mistake.

'Heroic Spirit Summoning'

With the summoning still continuing, Sei had already resigned himself. With immortality and recovery speed as weapons, he could fight against superior warriors. The problem was magic users who could turn him to dust in one hit, but by defending against Meteor Shower, Sora had overestimated Sei's defensive power against magic.

'Saint Emperor Shifaka'

The leader who came from a destroyed world, bringing humans to the Nears world.

A great hero well-versed in martial arts and swordsmanship who had adjusted this world over a long period of time.

Sei, while half desperate, had resigned himself.

If it's the same as the previous two, he could somehow put up a good fight. Whether Sora's magic ran out or Sei made a mistake, it was an endurance contest.

However, only Sei thought that.

'Divine Spirit Summoning'

A massive three-dimensional magic circle floated above Sora's head. Sora's magic power alone wasn't enough to construct it. It required dedicating life force and stamina too, everything to the very limit. A literal trump card.

'Golden Dragon Clarice'

From the massive magic circle, a dragon head as large as a mountain appeared.

While collapsing on the spot, Sora released control of the heroic spirits and skeleton knights, controlling only the Golden Dragon.

This was Sora's final means that defeated the Wicked God.

A divine dragon who protects the world. A feat of force that summoned its remnants remaining in the world, for just an instant, just a portion.

"Sweep them away."

The inside of Clarice's mouth glowed, and a golden breath of destruction was released.