The air trembled as Zodia broke free of Kazuma's sealing technique, his body bursting with raw, unrestrained energy. His crimson aura wrapped around him. It was so intense that it was causing powerful thunder storms, his face and eyes glowing with madness
With a calm but thunderous voice, he raised his blade—the Sword of Calamity.
From its edge, a colossal magic circle stretched across the skies, its size spanning the entire continent where the Demon Country was.
Kazuma's eyes widened in horror.
"You can't do this! Please—stop!"
But Zodia's reply was absolute.
"You cannot change the mind of a man who has already made his decision! It's a universal law applicable to all. Just as I can't make you step iside, you can't make me not destroy you all.".
The god's voice roared as the sky itself split apart.
"Calamity Technique: God of Destruction!"
A beam of light—so massive it eclipsed the sky—descended, its destructive force locked onto the Demon Country.
Kazuma clenched his fists and wove desperate hand signs, sweat dripping down his battered face.
"If I combine my sealing circles with teleportation, I should be able to redirect the attack…"
Slamming his hand to the ground, he cried out:
"Ultimate Teleportation Technique: Release!"
A giant teleportation circle opened beneath the descending beam, pulling at the attack like a black hole. But Kazuma suddenly staggered, clutching his chest as pain wracked his body. He fell to one knee, blood dripping from his lips.
"AAAAHHG! WHAT THE FUCK!", he exclaimed in pain. "Too much energy…! If I force any more, I'll die immediately!", he thought to himself.
Zodia gazed down at him with grim respect.
"You were a worthy opponent, Kazuma Starion the Spirit Lord. But this… this is where things come to an end."
Even as Zodia's own body began to wrap with sealing energy again, the beam of destruction continued its course—its path unaltered.
Kazuma, trembling and weak, traced more hand signs. In a flash of light, he teleported himself away—home. The place he had teleported away from had immediately got wiped out the second he dissappeared.
Inside their residence, Misaki rushed forward, clutching her baby tightly. Her voice broke with fear.
"Kazuma!!"
He collapsed before her, his face pale.
"…We're all going to die here. I couldn't stop him. I'm sorry, Misaki.…"
"No!" She hugged him, tears streaming as she held both her husband and child. "Don't you dare blame yourself! You did everything you could!"
Kazuma's eyes shifted toward the infant in her arms.
"Then at least… we've got to teleport Alex to safety. If we don't, he'll die here with us. He isn't even an hour old yet."
Misaki's voice cracked with desperation. "Then why dont go together?! We can flee to the city—where we grew up, where all our memories are! We'd live peacefully with Kito, White and the others!".
Kazuma shook his head. His expression was firm, though sorrow weighed on every word.
"No… if we go there, we'll be targeted as threats. Yuji, Ichiki… they died for that very reason. I have a better plan. And what kind of lord would i be to abandon his own country? Here's whst I'll do. I'll teleport Alex to where Ranpo-sensei currently is. Ranpo sensei would get the mental message of what happened. He'll raise Alex from there."
Misaki's tears flowed harder. She clutched Alex close.
"But if we do that, he'll be branded a threat too! Kazuma—I don't want him to die! I want to live with him… with you. I want a future where all three of us smile together as a family! Please, Kazuma!"
Her cries pierced his heart, but his resolve held. He cupped her face with a trembling hand.
"…I feel the same way. But as the lord of this country, and as your husband… I will die here with you."
Summoning strength, he formed hand signs. A red stone appeared in his palm, glowing with divine power.
"This is the Millennia Stone. It holds the divine beast of power. From the looks of it, Alex inherited your demonic traits. Without proper control and training, his powers will consume him easily. But if I seal this beast within him, its energy will stabilize his. He'll unconsciously use a certain amount of demonic energy that he needs to survive whatever gets in the way!"
Misaki, sobbing, cradled her son gently.
"Alex… my sweet boy. I wish I could have seen you grow up. I wish we could've spent our lives together. But I'm afraid that's not possible. Please, be a good boy. Don't trouble Ranpo-sensei too much. Become strong, make friends that would stick with you when you need help. Become very strong! Strong enough to follow your dreams. Strong enough to live and protect what you love."
She kissed his forehead, then placed him down.
Kazuma pressed the stone against Alex's chest. A glowing seal spread across the infant's body as the Millennia Stone sank into him.
"This boy will surpass all sorts of limits, including the one's you and i couldn't break. I can feel it…"
His voice cracked as he whispered to himself.
"Ranpo-sensei… Diablo… I'm entrusting him to you. Make this child strong—stronger than me, stronger than Misaki. Alex… this world is cruel. You need power and a strong mind and survive.".
His final hand signs shone with light.
"Teleport."
And Alex vanished.
The heavens fell. The beam of destruction consumed the Demon Country, erasing cities, mountains, and rivers in an instant. Everything reduced to ash and ruin.
In their last moments, Kazuma and Misaki embraced, their lips meeting in a final kiss. Then, together, they were incinerated within mere seconds.
The entire continent became a wasteland as everything immediately blew up in a terrifying explosion.
Far away in the city, Diablo sat with Veronica at a restaurant. Halfway through their meal, his body froze. His expression shifted to shock, then sorrow.
"…Kazuma-sensei…?" His hands trembled. " No way!"
Veronica touched his hand. " You alright?"
Diablo forced a faint smile, hiding the pain in his heart. "Don't worry… it's nothing."
Elsewhere, deep in a forest, Ranpo walked in silence. A faint cry reached his ears—a baby's wail.
Curious, he followed the sound… and froze.
There, lying amidst the roots of a tree, was a white-haired baby.
His heart clenched. His hands trembled as he walked toward the child and lifted it.Tears welled in his eyes.
"Kazuma… Misaki…"
He pressed the child against his chest, whispering through broken sobs.
"I swear… I'll protect him. I'll raise him into someone greater than even you two. He will become a man who's power is unstoppable. I swear that on my life."
The flashback faded.
Back in the present, Alex's eyes brimmed with tears as he relived the story of his parents' final moments.
Misaki's spirit, faint and glowing, looked at him with gentle sorrow.
"I know it's sad… I wished I could've lived a happy life with you and Kazuma. But it's quite unfortunate that things turned out this way.".
Alex wiped his tears and forced a smile. He looked at him Mom with serious eyes
"Then I'll change it. I'll become the strongest! Stronger than anyone! So strong that the world—and even the universe—will look up to me! Just watch, Mom!"
Misaki began to fade, her voice quivering with emotion.
"My time's up. I have to go now…"
Alex reached out desperately. "No—wait! There's so much I still need to tell you!"
She embraced him one last time, tears falling.
"I can't wait to tell Kazuma how much you've grown. Take care of yourself, Alex. Please… live well."
Her form dissolved into light.
The field of white flowers, the white sky—it all vanished.
Alex returned to the void, lying in a pool of his own blood beneath the blackened sky. A huge burst of demonic energy blasted out of his body.
He stood up and looked down—his body was now wrapped in a cloak of red energy, his clothes glowing with pure white light.
Alex had awakened a new level of power. DEMON INFERIO MODE: STAGE 2.
End of Chapter 17