Volume 8 Chapter 6 Demon Sorcery
A few days after the Demon (Majin) extermination, Alex called us to gather in the conference room for a briefing and training session before heading to Hell for breakfast.
Wade's party members, including me, lined up, reminiscing about the rune training we had once received. In the end, only Ice used runes as her weapon.
"Alright, everyone's here."
Alex announced, entering the room. He ruffled my hair more than necessary, perhaps as revenge for the Ice incident, and then walked in front of us. I fixed my hair with a frown.
"As I mentioned at breakfast, we'll have a briefing with your guide and a Niflheim training session today. You've already fought demons, but it's important to have some knowledge as well, or you'll be caught off guard."
"A guide, you mean someone who will accompany us?"
"Yes. Let me introduce him. Come in."
"As you command, Your Majesty."
A deep, gruff voice responded. A handsome tanned man with long, raven hair flowing in the wind appeared. He wore white gloves and a nobleman's attire without a jacket.
He approached us, smiled gently, and opened his mouth.
"Greetings, everyone. I am Sur. I am a Sorcerer Sur."
"...Sorcerer, you mean? Not a magician, but a sorcerer?"
"Yes, that's correct, Clay-sama. I am not a magician, but a sorcerer. In other words, I am a human who has made a pact with the devil (akuma)."
As Sur replied to Clay's confirmation, a tense atmosphere filled the room. Demons are our enemies. We don't know exactly what he means by devil, but they must be our enemies nonetheless.
Alex interrupted.
"His situation is special. He was born between a devil and a witch, and he came to the surface world after killing his parents. That's why he's hostile to the demon race, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Sur replied, maintaining his smile. The tension in the room eased slightly, as if to say, "Well, then."
Alex continued.
"Your mission this time is to explore the depths of the Great Dungeon, using the guidance of the Sur, and defeat the Demon King, 'Queen Hell'."
Upon hearing this declaration, our hearts tighten. Alex seems to notice our apprehension and nods, saying, "Alright, everyone. Let's get pumped up for this."
"I'll give you a quick rundown. A Demon King, to put it simply, is the 'king of an enemy nation with whom reconciliation is impossible.' Their goal is the annihilation of humanity. They want to slaughter every single one of us."
Especially, Alex adds.
"Queen Hell holds a particularly troublesome position in mythology. She is said to be the trigger for Ragnarok, the destruction of everything, including the gods, in this Norse mythology-based world ruled by the Alexander Empire."
"...Ragnarok?"
"Ah, yes. Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods. It's a grand rebellion against the gods, recorded in Norse mythology, involving all of Hel's siblings and giants joining forces."
It's supposed to be pretty bad, Alex says.
"If Queen Hell starts her invasion and emerges from the Great Dungeon onto the surface, Ragnarok will happen. That's why we need to strike first and kill her."
His words send shivers down my spine. It's, well, something else.
"Wade, you seem excited about this, huh? Don't get carried away."
"...Uh, wait, hold on a sec, everyone."
"As you can see, your leader is a battle maniac to the core. Make sure you keep him in check."
I'm met with lukewarm glances from the other members. Sorry, sorry.
"Anyway, you might get lost and distracted if you just go in blindly. That's why this Sur will be your guide."
Sur bows, and the other members return the gesture. It's a relief to have someone who won't let us get lost. It's simply helpful.
But I know Alex's mischievous side too well.
"But you know... Alex, if it benefits us overall, the guide might a traitor, right?"
"W-what!? Uh, um, Wade-sama?"
"Kakaka! You're scared after what happened with Echidna? But it's rude to say it in front of the person themselves. You should do these things behind their back after they're gone."
"I think it's easier to deter betrayal by saying it in front of the person themselves."
"Oh, that's clever. That's an interesting approach too."
The conversation between me and Alex was so open that Sur and all the other members were stunned. Sandra is the only one who eats sweets that she brought without permission.
Sur was staring at me with an unstable gaze, having lost his usual elegance. So, I said to him, 'Hey, if I did something to upset you, I'll apologize. I didn't mean anything bad. Let's just move on, okay?'
Sur was still mumbling to himself, but then he cleared his throat and started again.
"Okay, let's continue. This time, by the king's request, I'll be your guide through hell. Please make use of my explanations of hell's common sense and combat strategies on our way to the capital."
"Anyway, that's Sur's job. So, let's get started right away. I want to show you what sorcery is all about and help you build up some resistance to it."
"Resistance? What do you mean by that?"
"Just watch and you'll understand, Toxy."
Alex ignored Toxy's question and nudged Sur with his chin. Sur nodded and said, "Okay, I'll explain."
"Sorcery, in simple terms, is 'magic that's forbidden by the gods, but made possible by the Demon King's protection.'"
"......! That's......"
"Yes. In other words, demons are a race that's not loved by the gods, but can do magic that's impossible for others. For example..."
Sur said as he took off his gloves, revealing magic seals on his hands. But I quickly realized it was different.
"......You're carving runes onto your body."
"Ah, Wade-sama, you're perceptive."
It was similar to what I did with my prosthetic arm made by Durandal, but Sur was doing it with his own flesh and blood.
But what bothered me was what kind of meaning was behind it. As someone who carves runes onto their weapons, I didn't understand the benefits of carving them onto their body.
And those doubts, melted away at the sight of the demon's extraordinary technology.
"The demons inscribe runes on their bodies. Especially in Niflheim, located underground in Alexander empire, rune sorcery is prevalent. Additionally, demons usually possess an immortal nature and pay no heed to physical damage."
So saying, Sur grasped his right wrist with his left hand and stretched it.
"Therefore, the demons of Niflheim repeatedly die and resurrect, inscribing countless runes on their muscle fibers."
The skin of the extended arm spread out like a net. Underneath, the stretched muscle fibers were visible. Countless runic inscriptions ran along the muscle fibers, a sight so gruesome to behold.
"The demons master sorcery in this manner and become powerful. With just a gentle tracing of the arm, numerous rune sorceries run, making them formidable opponents for weak human magicians."
Finishing the explanation, Sur released his hand. His right arm returned as if it were made of rubber.
"...I see. It's a good thing I saw this beforehand. Demons are brutal, huh."
The male demon from the other day traced his throat, and the female demon placed her hand on her chest for that reason.
"But in that case, wouldn't demons be an incredibly strong species? They can also resurrect, right?"
"No, I think, on average, they are superior to humans. However, inscribing runic inscriptions on muscle fibers is also painful, so strong practitioners are still limited. Immortality is only to the extent of returning to their hellish birthplace."
In that case, the demons from the other day are highly likely to have died and resurrected in their homeland. Although it's hard to believe we'll meet again.
"Besides, as the demons are disliked by the gods, their magic is inferior in terms of single-use power compared to human magic."
Sur shook his head.
"Generally, the power is reduced by about half. To make up for that difference in power, demons use the tricks permitted by the Demon King. Essentially, sorcery is 'weaker in single-use than the original, but can employ tricks'."
I nodded at Sur's explanation. Then, I raised my hand. "May I ask a question?"
"Go ahead, Wade-sama."
"So, you mean that demons from Niflheim can perform sorcery much stronger than 3-letter rune magic by tracing a part of their body?"
"Yes. That is especially true for Niflheim demons."
"Are there any specific characteristics to the content of sorcery? I mean, I'm asking because I want to come up with countermeasures."
"That's a bit difficult, because..."
"Okay."
At that point, Sandra raised her hand.
"Prediction: It varies greatly and has no common pattern. It's like Terin's Grand Rune."
When did Sandra become friends with Terin?
"Oh, Sandra-sama, you have excellent observational skills. That's right."
With a passing grade from Sur, Sandra had a smug expression without changing her face. Sandra is expressive despite not using her facial muscles at all.
"Then, as a token of trust as comrades, I will show you."
Sur said and slid his right arm from the shoulder joint to the wrist of his left hand. Countless rune characters glowed under the skin, making it seem as if his entire right arm was glowing.
Then, a small fire broke out from the palm of his right hand. Sur gripped the fire tightly.
The flames from his right hand overflowed.
Wielding the overflowing flames, Sur created a trail of flames. Then the fire disappeared, and a bright red sword appeared from within.
"This is the heirloom sorcery 'Sword of Fire' that was forced upon me in the midst of suffering."
It was a red-hot sword that I could feel the heat from just being near. It looked like a true masterpiece sword.
... I wonder if I can recreate it with Durandal. What do you think?
"My sorcery is basically derived from this sword. Other demons will use completely different sorcery."
In other words, Sur continued.
"Demons who have gained versatility and taboo in exchange for being small, have their own unique sorcery in this way."
"That's cool sorcery..."
I couldn't help but say it. It's a shame I can't master it. No, I would never want to carve rune characters into each and every muscle fiber.
To me, Sur said with a lukewarm gaze.
"...By the way, the sorcery of other demons is mostly so gruesome that you can't even look at it."
"Ah, yes."
Sur's sorcery seemed to be exceptionally cool. Maybe I shouldn't have expected too much from sorcery.
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