Moonlight Blue

The Demon Lord, Mephistoles

I enter the Dark zone. Just like the last time, I can feel the demonic energy trying to invade my body. I walk into the forest for a few minutes. It seems that there is not a single demonic beast nearby. I guess the seal breaking has something to do with it.

I arrive at the site where I found Saber and Ashes.

“It about time the seal breaks, child. Prepare yourself,” says Saber, and I immediately set up a barrier around the area. This barrier is to make sure that the damage doesn’t spread out to other parts of the forest.

After a few minutes, it starts. The magic circle that is on the ground starts glowing eerie black-red following after by a surge of demonic energy. The trees are blown away by the outburst of energy. I can’t believe what I am feeling. I start shaking.

Ever since I arrived in this world, I thought that I was losing my humanity every time I got stronger. I no longer have fear; I am not even scared of death. But now, after all this time, I can proudly tell myself that I’m still human.

“Are you sure about this, kid?” Ray queries. “This is the Demon Lord we are talking about. Even the two heroes couldn’t defeat him.”

“Ray is right, child. You can always turn back.”

“I know you guys are worried about me, but if I turn back now, then a lot of people will die. I can’t afford that to happen. It’s either I stop him here or I die trying.”

I’m not saying this because I’m confident in myself. I know I don’t hold a candle against this guy, especially since the demonic energy has weakened me. But I at least have an advantage too. He’s been leaking his demonic energy this past two centuries trying to weaken the seal. So, he won’t be a hundred percent either. Also, thanks to Saber and Ashes telling me the fighting patterns and skills he can use, I have created a strategy that will give me a fighting chance at least.

Not only that but, I really want to fight this guy. I want to test myself in a real battle. Not that any of my previous fights weren’t real fights, but this fight is different. I’m fighting something that stands at the pinnacle of this world.

The magic circle glows brighter and brighter as dark red energy crackles from it. Then and there, he appears. The Demon Lord.

There he stands, with bright red eyes and a scar below his right eye. His body is larger than that of an adult male. He has black jet hair and black horns. He is bare-chested and his muscles are thick and pulsating. He has unusual grey skin and he is covered with scars but it is the big scar across his chest that stands out the most. His hands are big and have claws in the place of the nails.

“Two hundred years!” he roars. “Two hundred years and I’m finally free. Humans be ready, for Mephistoles has returned.”

Huh, that’s weird. I was actually expecting that maniacal laugh and that clichéd line, “Hahaha, I’m free. I’m finally free”, or something along those lines.

“To think there would be a human here? Looking at you, you look like you are in your teens. Are you here to fight me?

Seeing as you are still human even with all this demonic energy around you, and seeing as you’re holding swords…”

He pauses, and narrows his eyes at the swords. “Those swords, I know those swords. They are the two heroes’ swords… but that white one!”

I don’t respond and only stare at him intently. I have my guard up since I don’t know how strong he is.

“Did the Holyland send you here? No, I don’t see any holy magic items or relics on you or their insignia,” he smiles sheepishly. “I see. So, you think you can defeat me on your own human??”

“Allen.”

“Huh?”

“My name, it’s Allen.”

He chuckles. “And why should I need to know the name of a brat who’s going to die anyway, hmm? Never mind that, since I’m in a good mood, I’ll let you leave now. Just leave those swords behind and I’ll spare your life.”

I stare at him intently. Sweat starts dripping down my cheek.

“You know what? Forget about my offer. I don’t like the colour of your hair and eyes. They remind me of ‘HIM’. I’ll just kill you instead.”

He immediately charges at me, moving so fast he is like streaks of lightning. He is gunning for my head, but I manage to swerve out of the way. He misses by a whisker.

“Impressive. I could have sworn I had your head on my hand.”

If it wasn’t for my thought acceleration, then he would have gotten his hands on my head for real.

“You are strong, human, which is why I have to kill you before you become a nuisance.”

He then charges again, but this time even my thought acceleration can’t keep up. A punch to the gut sends me hurtling towards the trees.

“A barrier, huh? You are quick on your feet, just like that bastard.”

He keeps talking about someone. Who is this person? Could it be one of the two heroes? Could it be the great wizard, Merlin? Fuck, I shouldn’t think too much about this. I should focus on the fight.

I stand up from the mangled mess of broken trees. Even though I protected myself with a barrier, his attack is still able to breach through.

“Calm down, kid,” says Ray. “Your thoughts are all over the place. Just focus on the fight and put your trust in me, Ariel, Saber and Ashes. You are not alone.”

“Ray is right, child,” Saber chirps in. “Put your trust in us and let’s move forward.”

They are right. I’m not fighting alone. With my mind calm, I prepare myself.

“Oh, quite the spirited young human, aren’t you? If you think you can defeat me, human, then you’re wildly mistaken. I’ve killed humanity’s mightiest warriors. You are just a pebble in my way for vengeance.”

He charges at me again but this time I block the attack.

“Oh?” he exclaims, surprised.

He delivers a volley of punches but I manage to block them all with Saber and Ashes’ help. He continues to unleash the same kind of attack at me but I manage to block them. Ashes then disappears from my hand.

“Huh?” Mephistoles is confused as to where my black sword has disappeared to. Holding Saber, I take Gentle Ocean style stance.

“Gentle Ocean Style: Water Tide Thrust.”

With a powerful thrust from Saber, I blow Mephistoles’ shoulder off. A look of disbelief is written all over his face.

“That technique?” he gasps. “There is no way I can forget it. So, you’re the Light hero and that bastard’s descendant, seeing that you all use the same techniques.”

I don’t answer his question. Well, it sounded more like a statement though. Mephistoles’s shoulder heals immediately. I guess even with a heaven-grade sword, a wound like that is just like any other wound to a Demon Lord.

But the scar on his chest says otherwise. From what Ray told me about demons, they can be maimed by holy magic, light magic and dark magic. But even though I struck him with a sword filled with light magic, he still regenerated quickly. I guess that’s due to him being the Demon Lord.

Let’s try Ashes this time around. Saber then disappears from my hand and Ashes appears.

“Hmm, space magic, huh?” he says and smirks. “To think you can use space magic at such a young age. Allen, was it? You are strong for a mere human. Show me more, shall we?”

He charges at me again, pounding punch after punch. I block and dodge, hacking off his arms with Ashes at the same time. Of course, they regrow almost instantly.

“Dark Eclipse Style: Earth-shattering Slash.”

With a vertical slash filled with dark magic, I swing Ashes at him. Mephistoles reacts by blocking it with his arms but he couldn’t have known that this is no ordinary attack. I slash through both his arms, incising his shoulder too. He kicks me and using the force generated by the kick, he pushes himself backwards and puts a distance between us.

“That was a close one,” he says, huffing and puffing. “Now, this fight just seems a little bit unfair now, don’t you think?”

What does he mean by that?

His wounds heal but this time, he is slower than before. I guess the more devastating blows a demon receives, the slower their regeneration. But it’s still quite fast compared to Anti.

He then lifts his hand, pointing it at me. What’s he doing?

Why is he lifting his hand up like he’s holding a sword?

“ALLEN, WATCH OUT!” shouts Saber.

I instinctively veer to the side as per Saber’s warning, trailed by a reverberating blast. What was that?

I am surprised. The ground where I was standing has a large crack, as if a giant sword just cut through it. I slowly turn my head towards Mephistoles, and gasp at the sight of a giant blade in his hand.