Family heirloom, then turned into a demon girl

Chapter 37 Mission: 03-2 Black Tide
Ritsuka objected to Georgos's conjecture: "But I, the demon-kin here, and Nero have all met her before, right?"

It seems that Mephistopheles, who did not want to reveal his real name, was named "Devil", which is really a cause for celebration.

Nero then asked Ritsuka, "When you saw the Sphinx, was the devil with you?"

"Is that correct?"

"That's right. She didn't want to appear before other Heroic Spirits, and the only time she appeared before the demon was when she had no other choice."

Nero pointed at Ritsuka and himself, "She only wants to see you and me, and neither of us are Heroic Spirits."

Ritsuka understood: "So that's how it is. She appeared in front of Devil-Okinabi only because Devil-Okinabi has been with me?"

Giorgios agreed: "That should be it."

Then she changed the subject and continued, "She provided the puzzle, so she knows the current situation of the singularity better than any of us, which also means she is willing to guide the Master to repair the singularity.

"In that case, Master, why don't you make finding her one of your goals?"

The next day, everyone split up into two groups according to this idea. Ritsuka and Mephistopheles searched for the Sphinx and other Heroic Spirits outside the town, while Nero and Georgios went to the lord's mansion to confirm the situation with Beatrice.

However, soon after setting off, something happened.

"...?!"

Not far from the inn, Georgos frowned and gripped the hilt of his sword. Almost at the same time, Nero also felt a subtle palpitation in his heart.

"You feel it too?" she asked Georgos softly.

The other person frowned and replied, "A huge evil energy."

A projection then unfolded before the two of them. It was Mashu, who had promised to maintain contact through surveillance before their departure. The pink-haired girl said anxiously, "Something's happened! Please, both of you, go outside the town and support the Master now!"

The saint and the demon looked at each other, thought "As expected", and ran away.

Without wasting time navigating the bustling streets, Nero leaped onto a rooftop and parkoured his way out of town, with Georgos following close behind. When they reached the edge of town, they could see from afar a dark tide, shimmering red, flooding the golden wheat fields and enveloping the two of them.

Many people were fleeing the wheat fields in panic. They were farmers who had risen early to prepare for the harvest. Their six months of hard work had been swallowed up by the tide, yet they were powerless to stop it. Many looked at the destroyed wheat fields with despair on their faces—the lord's property had slipped through their hands, and these people were doomed to starve to death.

The two people in the center of the tide were naturally Ritsuka and Mephistopheles. At this moment, Mephistopheles was brandishing a slender, unguarded rapier, struggling to protect Ritsuka.

"No, my magic is terrible!"

Ritsuka kept trying to fight back with small magic such as fireballs and animal expulsion, but with little success. Instead, he was almost bitten by the surging tide.

"Master, be careful!" Mephisto hurriedly pulled her away, swung his sword, and chopped off the incoming black "water droplets" to the ground. He said helplessly and self-deprecatingly, "My frontal combat ability is still too poor."

As a Heroic Spirit of the Magician class, Mephisto isn't known for direct combat, and even her Noble Phantasm is primarily of a supporting nature. However, the cost of that Noble Phantasm is too great, and she can't easily use it against her Master. Until help arrives, Ritsuka and Mephisto will face a tough battle.

As Nero and Georgios approached the farmland, they finally saw the true face of the black tide: countless large rats with eerie red eyes.

Unlike normal rats that could be grasped in one hand, these rats had expanded to the length of their forearms. They were also the source of the "evil spirit" they had sensed—this endless swarm of rats, like a tidal wave, had all transformed into half-demons!
"You go protect Ritsuka, I'll clear the way for you."

Nero finished speaking, not giving Georgos time to reply. He drew his Echidna and charged in. The long whip, loaded with countless scaly blades, instantly unleashed a rain of blood, strangling every demon rat within five meters of Nero.

Nero then charged forward, her entire body like a meat grinder, tearing a bloody path through the tide. However, such an attack could easily injure Ritsuka, a mortal, so Nero stopped ten meters away from Ritsuka. Georgos, who had been following her all the way, finally drew his sword and charged into the rat tide alone.

Compared to the flexible Constrictor Blade, a longsword alone was insufficient to deal with the surging waves of enemies. Georgos, almost relying on his armor to withstand the bites of the rats, arrived at Ritsuka's side with a body covered in demonic rats.

Then, she unleashed a burst of magical power, shaking off the demon rats that were gnawing at her armor and trying desperately to get inside, slashing them in half with her sword in mid-air, and stood before Ritsuka.

"Master, I'll lead you out. This way."

With Georgos taking care of the rats, Mephistopheles's pressure was suddenly relieved. He glanced back at the saint, whose armor was nearly ripped apart, and said with a smile, "Why is your Excellency the Saint in such a mess?"

Georgos did not respond, but silently swung his sword, occasionally stomping on the ground to release magic to captivate the enemy, and rolled through the tide as firmly as a rock.

Under the protection of the two Heroic Spirits, Ritsuka finally had some time to spare. She stopped casting spells and asked in the air, "Mashu, where do these rats come from?"

"Still analyzing!"

Mashu, who was in Chaldea, was sweating profusely as she checked the monitoring instruments. "The magic power emanating from them undoubtedly belongs to demons, but I can't find the source!"

"Is that so?" Georgos looked at Nero, who was still harvesting lives from the rat swarm not far away. The soil beneath her feet was stained red with the blood of the demon rats. "That's enough. Master, I request permission to release the Noble Phantasm."

Ritsuka immediately recalled the legend of Georgos, who had slain an evil dragon with his holy sword. This Georgos, unlike the cavalrymen she had seen before, was a swordsman's heroic spirit. If that were the case, her Noble Phantasm must also be that dragon-slaying holy sword.

Without further hesitation, Ritsuka replied, "If you think it's necessary, use it!"

"understood."

Georgos took a deep breath and shouted to Nero, who was still fighting the rats: "Nero, stay away!"

Nero, who was still wielding his whip sword and killing everyone, heard this and turned around to see the holy sword shining in the hands of the paladin. He realized that his treasure was about to be released, so he immediately broke through the encirclement without looking back and ran towards the town.

Are you kidding? The ultimate skills of these holy sword users are all light cannons, and she doesn't want to be hit by a full-strength attack from the holy sword.

Next to Ritsuka, Mephisto's expression changed.

"You bastard, the devil's life is not a life?!"

(End of this chapter)