The legend of the Crimson Demon clan started from Suqing

#371 - The clarion call for counterattack

Zun Zun wasn't actually good at healing, but at times like these, he was unexpectedly useful.

For example, he could sever the blessing of the God of Death on Wilhelm's arm, which was inflicted by his deceased wife, to heal him. Or, he could help Betty, who had fallen into a coma due to consuming a large amount of magic power.

"Because the condition of Betty's contract with me is that she cannot absorb anyone else's magic power except mine, do you really have a way, Zun Zun?"

Natsuki Subaru was a little nervous.

Although Zun Zun had drawn away the Archbishop of Wrath, the subsequent Archbishop of Greed seemed a little too strong. Betty ultimately used a great deal of her own magic power to protect Natsuki Subaru, falling into a comatose state.

"The method is very simple. The reason Betty is unconscious is because your magic power, Subaru, is scarce. Wouldn't it be fine to just increase your magic power?"

"Then how do I do that?"

"Like this."

Zun Zun placed his hand on his back, sending his own magic power into him, causing Natsuki Subaru to scream.

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! What is this? Why does it hurt so much, ahhhh!"

"You must endure, Subaru."

This was necessary. There was no helping it. Zun Zun didn't know any Lich-type skills like Touch of Absorption. Plus, Natsuki Subaru's gate was very small and fragile. Zun Zun was already being very restrained in transferring magic power.

An hour passed.

Natsuki Subaru lay on the ground, groaning in pain.

"You're really useless." Zun Zun shook his hand. "The conversion rate is too weak. It's a waste to use so much magic power just to barely stabilize you. Seriously, you should work harder."

"It hurts… Sorry. I'll try harder."

If it were the Natsuki Subaru from a year ago, he would have retorted a few words. But now, much more mature, he didn't do that. He went to Betty, whose breathing was steady, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

Actually, there was another method, even simpler than this one.

He only needed to use the Sword of Darkness to sever the contract between Natsuki Subaru and Betty. Then, even without Zun Zun sending magic power to Betty, she would heal on her own. Or, she could make a contract with Zun Zun again, and the recovery speed would be even faster.

However, that wouldn't immediately increase their immediate combat power.

Betty needed a long rest to recover her magic power. Plus, they didn't know if it would affect Natsuki Subaru and Betty's second contract, so this method was abandoned.

It definitely wasn't because of any NTR suspicions.

Definitely not!

During the hour that he was transferring magic power to Natsuki Subaru, the Archbishop of Lust used the City Hall's broadcast again and increased the demands to three.

In addition to the Witch's Remains from the beginning, she also added Artificial Spirits and the Crimson Demons.

Artificial Spirits, needless to say, almost certainly referred to Betty.

What was unexpected was that the words 'Crimson Demons' would appear. They thought it would be something like the Gospel.

"Zun Zun?"

"Ah, how surprising. To know of my existence even though we haven't met yet. The Gospel… it's really terrifying."

Zun Zun couldn't help but laugh.

The Gospel was a degraded version of the Book of Wisdom created by the Witch of Greed. Besides Betty and Roswaal, each of the Archbishops of Sin had their own Gospel, and they all acted according to what was written in it.

Since the Gospel was created long ago along with the Witch Cult, wouldn't it be interesting if it wrote about Zun Zun—this person from another world?

At this moment, someone spoke up from the side.

"That expression doesn't seem like fear, but rather a burning desire for battle. I'm relieved. If even Lord Zun Zun were afraid, I really wouldn't know who could encourage you. But considering your personality, that day probably won't come."

Turning his head, he saw a knight in neat knightly attire, with purple hair, yellow eyes, and an elegant smile on his face. He was the guide whom Zun Zun called the Spirit Sorcerer.

Zun Zun casually greeted him.

"Yo, Julius!"

"You're back. Are you alright?"

Natsuki Subaru breathed a sigh of relief.

"To be worried about by you, Natsuki Subaru, is truly rare." Julius's lips curled up slightly as he said, "I just came back from patrolling with them and didn't expect these things to happen."

"And me too! Also, young man, thank you for helping Mimi heal! I heard from that kid that Mimi was able to escape danger thanks to you cutting off something, right?"

Ricardo, who came from around the corner, shouted his thanks to Zun Zun.

Whether Garfield hadn't communicated clearly or Ricardo didn't care about these things, he still seemed as energetic as he was a year ago.

But there was no time for reminiscing.

As the main force continued to converge, they had to organize a counterattack.

Seeing his companions gathering here one by one, even Natsuki Subaru gradually gained confidence.

Soon, Kirika arrived at the shelter after finishing his affairs and stated that they absolutely could not hand over the Witch's Remains. It was a dangerous object that would completely destroy the Watergate City as soon as it was moved.

Now that the four control towers were controlled and they couldn't get out, these residents had no way to evacuate.

After understanding this, everyone decided not to run away but to fight to the end.

"Then, the four occupied control towers and the City Hall in the center of the street. However, the order of attack has already been decided. Subduing the Archbishop of Lust is the top priority—is that okay?"

Everyone shook their heads, indicating that there was no problem.

They couldn't let the Archbishop of Lust run rampant. She had the ability to easily stir up the hearts of others. Plus, she controlled the broadcast, which could spread her voice to every corner of the city. That alone was enough to pose a threat.

In addition, there were beings in this city that could amplify the emotions of others and share the emotions of those around them. If she were to further amplify despair through the broadcast, it might cause an explosive increase in madness in the city, leading to mutual killings and the destruction of the city.

"Then I'll go kill the Archbishop of Wrath. Anyway, as long as I kill her first, I won't be afraid of the madness amplification…"

"No, Zun Zun, you should come with us. You also have questions about that guy's words, right?"

Natsuki Subaru was referring to what the Archbishop of Lust had said about the Crimson Demons in the broadcast. Moreover, going together would greatly increase the chances of success.

The Archbishops of Sin were not so easy to deal with.

"Also, according to my guess, the Archbishops of Sin are probably not a united group." Natsuki Subaru thought for a while and decided to voice his guess. "That Archbishop of Greed seemed to despise the Archbishop of Wrath. He said a lot of bad things about her without holding back. I don't think they're a monolithic bloc."

"In other words, we can attack them one by one."

"I wish it were that easy…"

"There's nothing to worry about." Zun Zun clapped his hands and said, "Whether those guys come or not, it doesn't make a difference to us, because our ultimate goal is—"

He paused, looking at the faces of the people present.

"To kill them all!"

There was no cheering or applause. The corner of the shelter was quite silent, but everyone agreed with this sentence.

Then, just as the mobilization meeting was about to end—

"Um, excuse me…"

Someone awkwardly raised his hand.

Everyone subconsciously looked at the person raising his remaining right hand, wanting to see his face, but it was blocked by the knight's helmet.

"Al?"

"Being stared at like this really takes away my courage to say it, but…"

He put his hand on the hilt of the sword behind his waist, tilted his head a little embarrassedly, and whispered, "Sorry, I can't go to the City Hall. The situation has changed. I have to meet up with the princess and part ways with you here."

"Wait, wait…! Al, are you saying this at a time like this?"

"That's why I said sorry, right? Really, I'm very sorry."

Al accepted Natsuki Subaru's accusation completely and apologized for his disloyalty, but this wasn't something that could be resolved with an apology.

"Ah, is that so? Then go, Al."

"Zun Zun!?"

"There's nothing wrong with that. Al is a knight, different from others. He hasn't met up with his master yet, has he?"

He held down the dumbfounded Natsuki Subaru.

Even with the blessing of the sun, in a situation where all the Archbishops of Sin appeared in Watergate City, even Al wouldn't dare say that Priscilla would be safe and sound.

"It's great that you can understand so quickly, brother."

Al thanked him sincerely.

However, he seemed to feel a great sense of guilt for going against everyone's judgment and taking other actions, so he spoke again, "Although it's not my place to say this, brother is in the same position, right?"

His gaze fell on Natsuki Subaru.

"I think you should prioritize your own important woman over what happens to the City Hall."

"Of course Emilia is important to me, and I understand what you're saying, but I believe this is the best choice. I'm sorry!"

Natsuki Subaru was determined to take back Emilia, but not now.

Al saw the determination in his eyes, scratched his head, and said nothing more. Just as Zun Zun recognized his departure to find Priscilla, he wasn't qualified to interfere with other people's actions.

"Oh, I forgot to say."

Zun Zun said to Al as if he had suddenly remembered something, "During the first broadcast, I saw Priscilla on First Street. You can go look for her there."

"Really? Thanks for the help… Also, let me ask, what was the princess doing there?"

"Shopping."

"…As expected of the princess."

Al's expression couldn't be seen under his helmet, but he probably felt speechless, just like Natsuki Subaru, Anastasia, and Crusch.

Should they say she had no sense of crisis, or was she confident in herself?

"Thank you, brother." Al patted Zun Zun's shoulder gratefully. "By the way, as a return gift and compensation for the information and for not being able to help, I'll give you a suggestion."

"Suggestion?"

"—If you encounter Gluttony, don't let him know your real name."

The advice without any preamble made everyone frown involuntarily.

Natsuki Subaru only felt a chill down his spine, as if sharp claws were mercilessly pressing against his heart. Regaining his senses, he wanted to ask for more information, but he found that Al was already gone, leaving only one sentence.

"If we have a next time, let's meet again in peace, brother."