Volume 11 Chapter 23 Unforeseen Crisis
As I was about to move forward with Ice's guidance, a gust of wind suddenly blew beside me.
"Huh?"
"Whoa, revival! That lightning was crazy, dude!"
There, a revived Demon stood.
He glared at me, his expression stern. I thought he was an enemy, but just then, the Ice Bird perched on the Demon's shoulder.
The Demon's expression softened.
"Huh? You're my master. Ah, I see. I didn't change my respawn point from you."
I was taken aback for a moment, then nodded, "Ah."
It's not often that Demons die, and it's even rarer for them to revive beside me. Rollo is the one who revives the most, but even that's only a few times after entering the city.
But I thought, what about the revived Demon's words? They were like they died from lightning.
That means they died from Sandra's lightning. In other words, one of the Demons participating in this battle died.
What I expected was――
The wind swirled around me, and many, many Demons appeared, one by one.
"――What the heck?!"
I just said that, and then sprinted off at full speed.
What's happening is simple. A large number of Demons from Bael's territory died. It's an aftermath of the battle with Sandra, and many Demons from Bael's territory died.
That alone isn't a problem. Demons dying and reviving is an everyday occurrence.
But the problem this time is the revival location.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! This is bad! The revivals are going crazy around me!"
The demons in Bael's territory are mostly set to revive at a designated location, so even if they die during the great migration, it's not a problem.
But a large number of those Bael demons died. And a massive revival is about to happen.
And that grand will be resurrected under me.
Let me say it again.
If I don't run at full speed, I'll be overwhelmed by the revived demons and die.
"You idiots, change the revival point, you stupid fools!"
As I keep running, the wind of revival blows from up ahead, and demons start falling from above, surrounding me.
What's more, it seems the Domain Control effect, which can't differentiate between friend and foe, is still active unless I touch the Ice Bird. So the revived demons will find and attack me.
And to make matters worse, even if I kill them, they'll just revive right next to me. I can't kill them. I have no choice but to run away for now!
"Ah, damn it!"
I dash forward, running infinitely at top speed.
I use gravity magic to lighten my body weight and strengthen myself with Anahata Chakra. I keep running at super speed.
But for some reason, the demons just keep reviving in front of me. I grit my teeth.
"What's going on?! Why won't the revivals stop?! Absolutely 700 people have been resurrected!"
It's as if the demons are chasing me, constantly reviving in front of me. I wonder why, and suddenly I realize.
I look back. The demons are killing each other.
"―――――."
That's right. The demons, who can't tell friend from foe, start killing each other right after reviving. And since they revive with me as the coordinate, there's no situation where there are no enemies around me.
In other words...
"Uh, am I in a pinch here?"
I'm running endlessly. I'm escaping endlessly. And endlessly, demons die, only to revive.
I'm trapped. I didn't mean to, but I've gotten myself stuck.
"...No, no, no...! I'm not trapped yet! I still have a way out!"
I try to turn back and chant "Object Weight―――", but before I can, 1, 2, 3 demons revive on top of me, and I'm on the verge of being crushed.
"―――――!"
This is bad, this is really bad! I desperately try to crawl out. But the revived demons push me back down, and I'm forced to crawl again.
I keep running, running, running. I'm running with all my might, like a wild animal.
Is this for real?! I don't even have time to chant my curse! I can keep running, but I don't have time to finish my incantation!
I'm running with a desperate look on my face. I didn't think I'd be unable to keep up with the demons, and now I'm half-panicked.
No, no, no...! This has to end somewhere, right? If I can just keep running faster than the demons' pace of killing each other...
So I give it my all and keep running. But when I see that the demons are still everywhere, even on the path I've cleared, I let out a scream.
"Don't come! Cancel the revival! Let me go!"
I'm desperate. It's not because of a strong enemy, but because I'm trapped by the system and the sheer number of demons. Is this really happening?
Can I fly away? No, that's no good. The revived demons will just fall to their deaths, and the cycle of death and revival will only speed up. I have no choice but to keep running.
I grit my teeth and keep running. I can't do anything. I'm supposed to be able to do a lot, but I can't do anything.
"I'm powerless..."
If I were up against a strong guy, I might be able to do something. But when the world's system turns its fangs on me, I get crushed so easily.
A revived demon hits me from behind. I stumble, but I grit my teeth and keep running.
I weave through the crowded circus, dodging the Demon King's army's infighting, and despite being unable to do anything, I keep running because I can't give up.
At that moment, someone says beside me:
"You're really bad at asking for help, Wade. Why don't you rely on others more?"
"――Will you help me?"
I turn to look. The guy, Gyurvi, a demon boy who helped me out in the slums, is smiling wryly.
"Sure thing. I'll even treat you to 2 meals this time."
The wind starts to pick up.
The demons are blown away by Gyurvi's wind sorcery, and then I mutter, "Ah, it's not good if they die. It's not good if they kill each other."
"Well, it can't be helped."
Gyurvi manipulates the wind further, wrapping the demons up, and they float away into the sky, carried off to who-knows-where.
"...What's going to happen?"
"No idea. Maybe they'll escape the Domain Control and land in some city or other? ———Ha!"
I'm so grateful that I cling to Gyurvi, who's even smaller than I am.
"Scary! Super scary! Thanks for saving me, I'm really grateful! You really helped me out, Gyurvi!"
"Ah, ahah, I only lend a hand when the price is right, haha."
Gyurvi pats my trembling head, slightly puzzled, with a pon-pon sound.
Gyurvi――a mysterious demon boy with a small stature like an elementary school kid, yet wielding powerful sorcery.
Before, when I was fleeing from the Demon King's army in the slums, Gyurvi helped me by pretending to be me and chasing them away. I was really saved back then too.
This guy only shows up when I'm in a pinch, and it's like... I might really like him.
"Thanks so much..."
"Ah, yeah, enough already. I'm getting embarrassed, so back off. You're being too much."
"Oh, sorry. I mean, it's just that I've never seen anything like that before... I'm still shaking, and my legs are giving out..."
I take a deep breath, stand up straight, and then look at Gyurvi.
"Gyurvi, what are you doing here? And how did you get out of the Domain Control's influence?"
"Hmm? Ah, I got a call from the Merchant Guild. Did you get the same message, Wade?"
"Ah, yeah, something like that."
I decide to play it cool for now. Saying I'm the organizer wouldn't be good, anyway.
Then, I notice.
"Gyurvi, that bird..."
"Ah, this one. I found this bird, and that's how I got out of the Domain Control's influence. It's made of ice or something, and it's really cold. Do you know what it is?"
"...I don't know... I caught it, but I have no idea what's going on."
I'm amazed. I'm surprised. There's less to talk about than I thought.
I was thinking that, when Gyurvi suddenly chimed in.
"What was that just now? Why did those demons revive with you as the focal point? Did you create some kind of religion to gather demons, Wade?"
"...Uh, no, it's not like that at all..."
I couldn't strongly deny it since I'd done similar things before.
For now, I've only been lying to Gyurvi. I feel a little guilty towards the person who helped me.
But Gyurvi seemed to brush off my evasive answer without a care.
"Heh, whatever. So, Wade, you're participating, which means you must have some goal in mind, right?"
"Uh, yeah, that's right..."
"We're in this together now. I'll help you out. That's 3 favors I've done for you."
"Uh, no, that's not good..."
"It's fine, really. If I help Wade, it'll benefit me too, so it's a win-win."
"...Then, I'll accept your help."
I explain to Gyurvi as we go through the circus together.
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