"New... new Demon King?!"
Kyouya Mitsurugi's expression drastically changed, his sword-wielding hand trembling violently.
"Such an aura... it doesn't seem fake. To think such an important event as the Demon King's succession occurred in the Demon King's Castle, and the new Demon Lord actually left the castle alone..."
"Hey!"
Airi's mouth twitched.
What the hell, do I not exist or something?
While it's true I'm not human, someone of your level shouldn't be capable of ignoring me, right?
"Let's run, Kyouya!"
"Against a Demon King, we can't possibly win! And she said this new Demon King rose to power through strength!"
His two female companions, still fallen on the ground, desperately tugged at his clothes, their faces filled with terror.
"No, Cremea, Fio! On the contrary, this is an unprecedented opportunity!"
But Kyouya Mitsurugi's spirits suddenly soared upon hearing this.
"If we defeat the new Demon King here, humanity will lose a great enemy! This would be a massive blow to the Demon King Army! We can't let this chance slip away!"
"Hmmm..."
Eiji let out a thoughtful hum.
Young man, what gives you such confidence?
Your cheat ability?
Have you ever considered the possibility of losing that cheat or having it stolen?
Have you thought about the chance of being defeated here, or even dying here?
Let me ask—are all reincarnators as foolish as you?
"Well, if you insist!"
"If that's what you say, then of course we'll follow you!"
The two girls seemed moved by his words, reluctantly raising their spear and short sword into combat stances despite their resigned expressions.
Hey, what are you doing?
This kind of dialogue makes me look like the villain here—won't people misunderstand?
Oh, I am the villain?
Never mind then!
Eiji unleashed a storm of mental retorts.
"Hyah!"
Encouraged by his companions, Kyouya Mitsurugi's fighting spirit surged.
With a loud battle cry, he raised his black greatsword and swung it down at Eiji with full force.
"Go, Demon King! Crush that magic sword guy!"
Airi had somehow retreated to a safe distance, cheering him on with shared indignation.
Dare to come closer?
I'll beat you up too!
Eiji helplessly extended a single finger.
He initially planned to repeat his strategy against Beldia to defeat Kyouya Mitsurugi, but the moment the black magic sword approached, he suddenly pivoted on his feet.
"Clang—!"
The black sword grazed past his body.
Its edge split the earth effortlessly, striking the bedrock beneath and cleaving through the stone as smoothly as a mirror!
What a sharp blade!
Eiji's eyes showed genuine surprise.
"It's too early to be amazed!"
Kyouya Mitsurugi retrieved his sword, noticing Eiji's reaction with visible pride.
"The magic sword Gram is a divine weapon bestowed upon me by the goddess—capable of severing anything in this world! And its power goes far beyond just that!"
This sword named Gram was Kyouya Mitsurugi's cheat ability!
A genuine divine artifact gifted by an actual goddess, the very reason he thrived in this other world!
"I see."
Eiji responded with a cold laugh.
He spoke for the first time in front of Kyouya Mitsurugi, deliberately lowering his voice.
With the intimidation mask amplifying his deep tone, it carried an overwhelming sense of menace. The two female followers had already turned pale, their regained fighting spirit rapidly plummeting.
"If I had taken that head-on, it might have actually left a mark on my armor. That sword's power is indeed not to be underestimated."
He wore gauntlets made of orichalcum, but this demonic sword truly possessed the power to threaten even orichalcum.
After all, his armor wasn't a genuine divine artifact. Though the God of Forging had intervened in its creation, without undergoing divine transformation, its defensive capabilities might still be slightly inferior compared to the true divine armor, Aegis.
If he recklessly met the attack with his bare fingers, the super cool-looking armor—which had annoyed Miss Tsubaki for days to create—would definitely get scratched.
That would ruin its perfection! His obsessive-compulsive tendencies absolutely couldn't accept that!
"Take this!"
Kyouya Mitsurugi raised the demonic sword high.
A golden light radiated from the blade, its brilliance rivaling the flash of the sun.
As he swung downward, the light condensed into a massive golden slash, released from the sword's tip. The enormous blade of light roared forward, tearing through the ground in its path as it hurtled toward Eiji!
The power of this strike was immense!
Eiji instinctively knew that huge golden slash could definitely leave countless marks on his armor.
So he took a step to the left.
The golden slash whooshed past his side, the gust of wind lifting the skirt of his armor, yet the blade didn't so much as graze him.
That's right.
The armor had a skirt!
This was something Eiji had insisted Tsubaki add—it was the symbol of a true powerhouse!
What kind of mighty armor wouldn't have a skirt?
At least in this moment, his evasive maneuver looked exceptionally cool and stylish!
"How about that?"
Kyouya Mitsurugi looked at him proudly.
"If you think you can beat me with just one finger, you'd better abandon that unrealistic notion right now!"
He seemed to have noticed Eiji's earlier gesture.
"Indeed, facing that sword with just one finger was too arrogant of me."
Eiji nodded in agreement.
"At least you, the Demon King, have some sense of reality!"
Kyouya Mitsurugi was taken aback, surprised by his sincerity.
"I, Kurogane Ikki, have always been an honest man. Don't lump me in with that shameless former Demon King."
Eiji took the opportunity to diss the old Demon King.
Then he extended his hand—first his index finger, then added his thumb.
"In that case, I'll use two fingers!"
He added another finger.
His cold tone seemed to say that two fingers were more than enough to deal with him.
"Wha—?!"
Kyouya Mitsurugi was stunned, then quickly flushed with anger.
"You're still looking down on me?! Then taste the power of this demonic sword!"
With a roar, he kicked off the ground hard, charging forward like a bullet.
The demonic sword's blade descended swiftly toward his shoulder.
"This will work!"
Seeing Eiji not even attempt to dodge and instead leisurely reaching out, Kyouya Mitsurugi was overjoyed!
If this strike landed, he could slay the new Demon King on the spot!
"Bzzzt—!"
But suddenly.
Two fingers appeared in the sword's path.
In an instant, as if catching a blade barehanded, those two fingers clamped onto the sides of the sword with uncanny precision!
"Ugh—!"
It felt like suddenly striking a wooden sword against solid steel.
Kyouya Mitsurugi abruptly felt an overwhelming resistance—no matter how much strength he poured in, he couldn't break past those vise-like fingers!
"H-how is this possible?"
His shocked expression seemed to scream disbelief—how could the power of his magic sword possibly be matched?