What if you are reborn as a demon after a funeral?

Page 126

The beams of light that swept through the forest tore the once tranquil scene to shreds, leaving the forest in ruins in the blink of an eye. The energy explosions also caused mushroom clouds to rise continuously, and not only the surrounding trees, but even the rocks had long been pulverized into dust.

The shockwaves were so powerful that even trees further away were not spared, all innocently overturned by these hurricane-like shockwaves.

The girls themselves, who were using the most clumsy yet effective bombing, were also forced to deploy defenses to avoid being blown away by their own shockwaves.

"Is...is everything really alright?!" Looking at the distant horizon that was no longer visible, Connie couldn't help but ask loudly while raising a shield to protect everyone.

However, Frilian looked back with a helpless expression:

"What are you talking about? This is just the first stage of attrition... I didn't expect this guy to be so arrogant, just standing there letting us fight. But now we'll wear him down a bit, and this is the only time we can close the gap!"

"Even Lady Frilian says that...?" Philon, who didn't really know how powerful Frilian was, only that she was very strong, couldn't help but look at her sideways when she heard this.

This caused Frillie a little distress before she said:

"Although he shouldn't have reached the level of a demon king yet, he gives me the feeling that he's even more troublesome than dealing with the corrupt sage back then."

"That corrupt sage whom even the hero's team couldn't defeat head-on?"

"Yes, so we shouldn't worry about what he'll do. We should worry about how troublesome it will be if he goes all out, because he doesn't want to lose—but neither do I!"

As she spoke, a smile crept onto Frillie's lips. With that carefree smile, she unleashed her full power, determined to win against him once and for all.

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The girls looked as if they were fighting a demon king, making the two first-level mages who were acting as examiners in the distance feel dizzy.

but.....

"Lord Ash, you are truly cunning." Zanze, who had been watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but sigh softly as he observed the surging barrage of attack magic.

Because from different angles, she could clearly see... that shortly after the chaotic attack magic bombardment began, a strange magical fluctuation appeared on the scene, and its direction was completely opposite to that of Frilian and the others.

That was precisely the unique trace of high-speed movement magic, but—due to the overwhelming amount of chaotic magical attacks from their own side, it was difficult for Frilian and the others to spot that trail amidst the chaotic surge of their own magical power and the billowing dust.

At first, Ash even pretended to erect a rock wall for cover.

Of course, in reality, that could only be considered an overreaction, because even a mage like Frillian would have a hard time reacting to high-speed movement magic on the first encounter, and might even have their throat slit instantly upon meeting it, making it a perfect first-meeting kill.

Because high-speed movement magic is like cheating, it can easily exceed the speed of sound like teleportation, but it will not create a sonic boom or even produce wind, making it a skill exclusive to assassins.

The only drawback is that it is easily affected by the magic released by powerful mages or monsters when they are on guard, which can cause magic to malfunction.

Because she had handed over the magic, Raofen knew he would know her weakness, which is why she didn't use the magic to launch a sneak attack, since Ash would definitely be on guard.

But now... Frillie and the others have no idea that Ash has slipped away silently and is still unleashing his firepower from the spot.

When they were somewhat tired, Frilian and Philon temporarily stopped their attack.

“How strange, Ash’s personality isn’t like that, he wouldn’t let…” Before Frillian could finish speaking, a hand was already on the back of her neck, followed by a familiar voice: “Let you attack like this, right?”

"—?!"

Completely unaware of the magical reaction beforehand, it was only when the back of her neck was grabbed that the strange magical fluctuation suddenly appeared, causing Frillie's voice to stop abruptly. After unconsciously widening her eyes, she raised her hands with an unwilling and depressed expression.

Even Philon, noticing the anomaly, was startled and wanted to turn and attack, but...

The hand that reached out to her the instant she turned around was enveloped in purple lightning.

With just a light touch, a crisp "bang!" was heard, shattering the semi-transparent magic shield that had appeared beside her.

The light vanished on its own the next moment, and the large hand rested on her collarbone, gently squeezing her neck. Philon froze, her face filled with disbelief.

Why is mine...?

"Those defenses against magic won't stop my magic. Against an opponent like me, you should be more careful to keep your distance, Frilian, Philon... You're checkmated now."

With one person in each hand, a smile involuntarily appeared on Ash's face.

"—No! I'm still here!"

After a brief moment of surprise, Rabine suddenly pressed down, freezing the ground instantly and rapidly spreading towards Ash's feet.

However... the spreading ice seemed to automatically bypass him, not even freezing his heels, but freezing the innocent trees behind him directly.

"Damn it... the difference in magic power is too great, it can't freeze me at all...!" Seeing this, Rabine, though somewhat prepared, couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement.

But countless transparent blades, like raindrops, flew towards him, but...

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The pale blue shield, composed of several layers of defensive magic, easily blocked all attacks, even as the transparent blades sliced ​​through it, sending up countless sparks.

The scattering shockwaves directly sliced ​​the previously frozen trees into several pieces... turning them into a pitiful pile of timber.

"...Give up, Yubel. Your imagination limits the power of your magic. Your specialty can't cut through defensive magic." Ash looked on with a helpless expression as the girl rushed towards him, constantly waving her wand.

"Indeed, but—how about this!!"

Yubel's lips curled up, but as he ran, he used flight magic to leap into the air and then swooped down toward the ground.

The weapon, gleaming with a cold light, like a magic wand or a trident, was thrust straight toward his head.

"...Mass attacks are indeed a weakness of defensive magic, but I don't think that this level of mass is enough to break through defensive magic."

He didn't even want to look at the inevitable ending, and turned his head to try to deal with Rabinha, who was still shooting ice arrows at himself and making a final attempt.

However... just as he looked away, he heard the sound of feet stepping on a shield coming from above.

The moment he looked away, Yubel, who had clearly changed his attack pattern halfway through, grabbed the edge of the defensive magic shield like a nimble gymnast, and flipped his body in mid-air, directly bypassing the defense.

And in the blink of an eye before landing, the trident, gleaming with a cold light, pierced straight toward his back.

But just as she was about to touch him, an unusual gravity suddenly bound her entire body without warning.

The trajectory of her landing suddenly changed, and the girl's eyes widened, but she only staggered briefly before falling to the ground on all fours.

"Huh... have I been found out?" Yubel tilted his head in confusion, looking completely innocent.

"...I think you'd better give up on your revenge plans sooner rather than later. Aren't melee mages like you specifically designed to counter me? Besides..."

He glanced at the girl still lying on the side, then looked at the two people not far away with a sense of helplessness.

Connie, skilled in water manipulation, is ineffective in a water-scarce environment. His ordinary attack magic cannot break through defensive magic, so he simply gives up resisting. Labine, lacking Connie's help, uses ice magic, and the ice attacks he generates are less than satisfactory, also unable to break through defensive magic.

After only a brief attempt, Rabinha, despite his reluctance, was forced to give up.

The girls' powerful counterattack ended in a very anticlimactic way, with the capture of their main fighters, Frilian and Philon.

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Even in the end, Philen couldn't figure out why she lost... which made her somewhat unwilling to accept her defeat.

This made Frillie, who had been grabbed by the neck and was unwilling but had accepted her defeat and stopped resisting, chuckle.

“A loss is a loss. Although Ash’s refusal to confront the enemy head-on does seem a bit unmanly, but... in a real battle, you can’t expect the enemy to fight you head-on, can you?”

"Indeed... I'm sorry, Lord Ash, I actually thought I'd give you a good talking-to when we got back." Philon felt so ashamed that he couldn't help but bow his head in apology.

I was just thinking, "Would you scold me when we get back?" —Ash thought to himself, but outwardly, to maintain his adult composure, he could only smile and reach out to pat her head.

"It's okay. After all, you're still a child, and being a little willful sometimes is even cuter~"

"...I'm not a child!"

Although he had just apologized, the moment he said those words, Philon's cheeks became round and chubby again, just like a pufferfish.

Frillie walked away on her own, and as she brushed past him, she smiled and said, "Next time... we won't fall for your tricks."

"...Will there be a next time?"

"Of course, look forward to it!"

"I'm not really looking forward to it..."

Using this trick was a last resort for Ash.

After all, it wouldn't be good to accidentally hurt anyone if you really sparred with them, but as orthodox mages, their physical strength is really not that great.

To withstand the strain of high-speed magic, Laopyn trains like a warrior, but their bodies are entirely those of magicians.

In this situation, breaking through the defensive magic was easy for him; the real problem was how to avoid going too far and causing an irreversible situation. However, he also understood that Frilian might have some hidden trick up her sleeve, but since it was clearly not a life-or-death battle, there was really no need for that.

After the battle ended in a whimper, Connie and Rabine quickly left with Philon and Frilian. But then a familiar, slightly annoyed voice came from beside him.

"...Doesn't any of you care about me?"

"More than caring about you, I'm curious why you're still lying on the ground and won't get up?" Ash looked down and saw the girl with the side ponytail—Yubel—still lying on the ground staring at him with an ambiguous smile.

He couldn't help but say helplessly, "What kind of crazy idea are you still thinking of?"

"I just want you to help me up, and if possible... could I punch you?"

“If it’s just about helping him up, then it’s not a big problem.” He ignored the second half of the sentence and bent his knees slightly, reaching out his hand towards the ground.

As Yubel grabbed his hand to help him stand up, he leaned forward and, almost bumping into him, stood on tiptoe, raised his face, and stared at him with those overly bright, dead-fish eyes. He gave a meaningful smile and whispered, "—You stingy little thing."

"...Say what you will, aren't you going back to rejoin your squad?"