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Chapter 184 — Are You a Demon?
🕑 Added 2025-07-18 15:14:23 +0000 UTCThousands of meters above the ground.
Nagami slowly raised his massive Void Greatsword, positioning it horizontally in the path of the incoming laser blade.
Sparks erupted with a harsh, grinding hum as the two weapons clashed.
Riding the turbulent air currents, he lifted the greatsword high and brought it crashing down with a thunderous shockwave, the sonic boom ripping through the skies.
The sheer force of the impact sent shockwaves blasting in every direction.
A terrifying wave of pressure exploded outward—and once again, Ellen was pushed to the defensive.
“Wh-What?!”
She gasped in disbelief.
The speed at which Nagami moved completely contradicted the elegance usually associated with greatsword techniques.
It defied physics itself—how could something that massive move so fast?
She barely had time to raise her laser blade in defense.
The impact coursed from her arms into her slender frame, sending her flying through the air.
Using her core strength, she twisted midair and allowed the force of the strike to carry her several hundred meters away.
When she finally came to a stop, the arrogance that once filled her gaze was gone—replaced by a heavy, grave expression.
‘Westcott… You’ve seriously messed up this time.’
‘This guy isn't a Spirit at all.’
‘He's a monster—a Herrscher.’
But it was too late for her to warn her boss and partner.
Their communication devices had been destroyed in the heat of battle.
Ellen took a deep breath and shook her head, casting off any remaining distractions.
Her expression sharpened as she focused entirely on the fight.
A surge of magic erupted from her body.
Empowered by specialized equipment, she condensed a torrent of tangible energy in the air around her, radiating an overwhelming and suffocating pressure.
A moment later, Nagami’s figure vanished in a streak of golden light.
“Close combat like this really gets the blood pumping!”
The thrill of swinging a greatsword in full-contact battle sent a rush through him.
Nagami’s body blurred into a streak of white light, crossing space itself.
The tremendous force gathered in his Void Greatsword collided with the laser blade once more.
The piercing screech of metal against metal rang through the skies as the two clashed.
Their figures were swallowed in the burst of energy from the impact, shockwaves tearing apart the surrounding clouds like paper.
The golden laser sword, supercharged with excessive magical power, crackled with lightning as it slashed through space.
The roar of it echoed like thunder, and both combatants became little more than blurs—dancing on the edge of reality and illusion.
“This magic… I acknowledge you. You’re worthy of being called the strongest magician among humans.”
Though he still sounded laid-back, so relaxed he even had the energy to jokingly cosplay Madara Uchiha—Nagami was finally getting serious.
He twisted his wrist, swinging the ultimate Void Armament from below.
The glimmering rings of Void Crystals circling the blade were momentarily shattered by the swing.
Sensing an incoming killing intent from his right, Nagami casually glanced toward the seemingly empty air.
His eyes, tinged crimson by the King's Authority, grew a little more focused.
To be honest, melee wasn't exactly his weak point—but as a Herrscher with multiple Authorities, wasn’t it kind of a waste not to just nuke the battlefield instead of swinging a sword around?
After all, if a true mage fights like a warrior, is he even a real mage anymore?
It’s like how Ultraman Tiga always used his red form—because it was fun.
Or like Gamma Future in Ultraman Z.
If he didn’t constantly worry about his hand-to-hand limitations, he’d easily be top-tier in raw power.
Taking two steps through the void, Nagami raised his greatsword high once more.
In that instant, honed Honkai energy fused with the power of the Void, surging out from deep within him like a dormant ocean awakening.
The unleashed power spread around him in waves.
Violent winds howled as they lashed against his blue coat—the symbol of the Herrscher of Reason—while countless shining crystal bands of Void energy spiraled around his sword, coalescing into a blinding tornado.
Even though the attack was still being charged, everyone fighting below paused for a brief second.
Every single one of them could clearly feel it—an overwhelming, monstrous energy gathering in the sky.
‘What’s the true romance of a swordsman’s duel?’
‘Obviously—clashing beam blasts!’
Sensing Nagami’s intent, Ellen tightened her grip around her sword hilt.
A surge of magical energy rushed toward her laser blade, causing it to swell in size, radiating with a destructive aura akin to total annihilation.
“This power… it really could defeat any Spirit in a one-on-one,”
Nagami said sincerely, giving her a rare word of praise—though with one exception: Tokisaki Kurumi.
But if anything goes and underhanded tactics are allowed, the Spirits still had ways to defeat Ellen.
Take Kurumi, for example—if she used her Twelfth Bullet to travel back to when Ellen was still a child, or before she even awakened, she could end the fight instantly.
Aside from the time it would take to store up the necessary time energy, the rest would be trivial.
Though… such a move would irreversibly alter the timeline in a world with no parallel universes.
Yeah… time powers really are a cheat code.
If a Herrscher of Time ever appeared… no matter the civilization, humanity would never survive that trial.
As the gathered energy swelled to its limit, fragments of collapsing Void space shimmered like star dust, fusing into the bands of crystal around Nagami’s greatsword.
“Let’s go!”
A massive beam of violet-silver light exploded forth, tearing through the sky like a cannon that shattered the very laws of space.
At the same time, Ellen's laser sword flared with brilliant golden energy, erupting in a thunderous blast that took the form of a serpentine dragon made of lightning—snarling as it surged forward to meet the oncoming wave.
‘BOOM!!!’
With an earth-shattering explosion, the dense clouds across the sky were torn apart—ripped into shreds of mist and scattered by the shockwave that followed.
When it comes to clashing beam cannons, positioning matters.
Given the battlefield between the DEM personnel and the Spirits, Nagami had intentionally chosen the right flank.
The outcome spoke for itself.
The golden lightning blast only managed to hold out for a few seconds beneath the brilliance of the Void Crystals before it completely shattered, dispersing into fragments under the shimmering silver-violet radiance.
That overwhelming surge of energy rocketed toward Ellen like an unstoppable force.
She immediately conjured several layers of Territory Fields in front of her.
As the sword aura struck, it clanged like steel hitting an indestructible wall.
But facing Nagami’s fully charged Void Sword Slash, Ellen’s Territory Field rippled with countless distortions—like raindrops disturbing the surface of a still lake.
“Ugh!”
Ellen let out a suppressed grunt, her face pale as her lithe body trembled violently, as if struck by lightning.
Unlike the large-scale mana regulation devices designed for system-controlled deployments, the CR-UNIT Ellen used for personal combat relied entirely on the user’s brain to control both the equipment and magical output.
In order to maintain her Territory Field, her brain had already been pushed well beyond its limit.
Blood trickled from her nostrils, mouth, and even the corners of her eyes—leaving her looking ghastly and grim.
Her Territory Field had once withstood the might of Inverse Tohka’s strike that split Tengu City itself… yet it couldn’t endure Nagami’s fully charged Void Slash.
Fragments of shattered, mana-infused barriers scattered through the air—the sound of her defenses breaking echoed like a declaration of defeat.
“Kh—!”
The moment her barrier collapsed, Ellen’s face drained of all color, pale as bleached parchment.
She let out a stifled groan and violently coughed up a mouthful of blood.
With her magic drained and her brain overclocked to the brink of collapse, she could no longer maintain control over the equipment.
The propulsion units behind her sputtered out, losing their glow as her body plummeted, dragged down by gravity.
“Arrogance… it’s best not to let yourself feel it. Not ever.”
Resting the Void Greatsword on his shoulder, Nagami watched as Ellen was engulfed by his blade’s energy.
He slowly shook his head.
“If even a six-core pufferfish can be subdued, of course Ellen could too.”
He gave a casual flick of his greatsword toward her falling body.
A glowing silver-violet void sigil bloomed behind her.
From it emerged bands of crystalline light that intertwined like chains, binding Ellen’s limbs and suspending her in midair.
Her CR-UNIT had already been half-destroyed by the explosion’s aftermath.
Now, those void tendrils had completely wrapped her up.
And, due to Nagami’s "habitual" technique, the way she was tied emphasized her elegant curves a little too well.
“Game over. Now take me to Westcott, Miss Magician.”
With his coat fluttering like waves, Nagami descended and landed before her.
He placed the blade of his Void Greatsword gently against her forehead.
He nodded with satisfaction.
“Still got it. My tying skills haven’t gotten rusty.”
“Game… huh…”
Ellen weakly lifted her head, blood still staining her eyes.
She stared at him.
“You really are a monster… Herrscher…”
Although strictly speaking he hadn’t actually used any Herrscher abilities during the fight.
And all that “King” talk? That was way too chuuni, wasn’t it?
“Sigh, come on now, Miss Ellen. Show some manners. I asked you a question: will you take me to Westcott?”
Nagami tapped her cheek lightly with the flat of his sword to show that yes, this was a threat.
Ellen curled her lips in a frosty, mocking sneer, like she was staring at a clown.
“In your dreams. If you’re going to kill me, then do it.”
Her loyalty to Westcott didn’t need to be questioned.
Nagami let out a theatrical sigh. “Ahh… I really am too kind for this cruel world. I don’t even like using Geass to forcefully rewrite someone’s will.”
He stroked his chin as if regretting his own benevolence, gazing thoughtfully at her.
“So what should I do instead… hmm… Oh! Got it!”
A glowing green magic circle unfolded in his palm, and he slowly reached out with it—placing it just beneath the hem of Ellen’s barely-hanging skirt armor.
“The choice is yours: a taste of ‘phantom wind’… or take me to Westcott.”
Ellen’s expression froze instantly.
The strongest magician in the world—her eyes now filled with pure fear.
“...Are you a demon?”
