As the Demon King, I have married a slave elf. How should I express my love?

—No, <Tianlin> will also involve Fa'er.

In any case, at this point, the only people they could rely on were Nefertari and Shestie.

"—He is the master of fear, a follower of the god of war, bringing destruction and chaos—"

Just as Nephtros began chanting the divine magic—

The black dragon flapped its wings, transforming the ocean currents into whirlwinds, destructive vortexes that shattered massive rocks, and surged towards them. The scene was almost like…

"A tsunami has occurred in the sea...?" Someone exclaimed in terror.

Realizing that divine magic would be too late, Nephtros cried out:

"Barbaros!"

"No way! I told you shadows can't be used properly here!"

Within this underwater city protected by the mermaid artifacts, magic is hindered and cannot be fully utilized. Therefore, Sagan was unable to cast the "Dragon Style" and knelt down.

There is no way to escape the Black Dragon's tsunami.

—I shouldn't do things I'm not used to...

She sought help from others, only to drag them into a deadly situation. If it had been Sagan alone, the only one who would have died would have been her own foolishness…

Just when Sagan was about to be defeated by her own powerlessness—

"—The love song of Neptune, sung by Selph—the sacred vessel, 'Watatsumi Shizuku'!"

A chilling shout came from who-knows-where.

What followed were not words, but only melodies and songs.

—Is that voice… Selphie?

As Sagan noticed, a whirlpool rose in front of the black dragon. The long, thin whirlpool, like a tornado, tore through the black dragon's tsunami and swallowed its massive body.

Selfi held aloft the precious jade artifact of the mermaid race.

Even so, the black dragon opened its mouth wide, gathering dense magical power within.

Is it planning to unleash a breath attack!?

If Fael were to unleash a breath of magic powered by the Demon King's Mark, the entire underwater city would be destroyed. Sagan, having failed to cast Dragon Style, has no way to withstand this attack.

It shouldn't have been able to be stopped, but—

"You rascal, don't act so insolently in someone else's home!"

Then Lilith rushed out of the temple.

She held in her hand the mirror she had seen before. A mirror as strong as a shield must be very sturdy, but it was far too flimsy to block the black dragon's breath.

But then the mirror shone brightly.

"In the name of the Silver-Eyed King, display your power—the divine artifact, the Mirror of the Netherworld!"

The light expanded and covered the temple, drawing patterns like magic circles and transforming into a giant shield.

Then, the black dragon's breath struck the light shield. Even a divine artifact couldn't possibly withstand such a powerful breath.

However, Lilith wore a confident smile.

"They'll reap what they sow!"

Then, the pattern of light unfolded directly above the black dragon, and magic cubes fell from the pattern.

—Did it warp space and send the breath back at you?

Sagan seemed to understand why Lilith's artifact was shaped like a mirror.

Mirrors reflect light. But that artifact could do more than just reflect light; it was a mirror shield that could distort all magical and physical laws.

The black dragon couldn't withstand the pressure and lost its balance. This time, it was Black Flower who stood in front of the black dragon.

"Take this—'Heaven Without Moon'."

Blades of light extend from the black-flowered twin swords, as if to resonate with the other two divine artifacts.

The light blade soared into the sky like a towering pagoda before slashing down towards the black dragon's neck.

"Meowa ...

The light blade, accompanied by a scream, swung down, easily slicing through the black dragon's scales and causing it to spew out black blood.

However, the one wielding the light blade was the one with the black flower.

Of course, she wouldn't stop after only scratching a thin layer of skin. She immediately swung again at the body with thinner scales, followed by a second strike in a vertical cross pattern. Then, she leaped up and swung a third strike at the neck, before twisting her body along the sword's momentum to deliver a fourth strike towards the throat. The light blade darted left and right, unleashing a continuous barrage of blows.

The trail created by the intertwined, glowing swords even resembled a giant flower petal.

Finally, after Black Flower's sword stopped, Black Dragon collapsed to the ground with a thud.

—Is this Ryukawa's divine weapon...!?

Judging from the power of the Black Flower Twin Swords, perhaps there's a mechanism here to enhance the power of the divine artifacts, or perhaps it only makes sense when all three divine artifacts are gathered together. It seems the power of the Black Flower Twin Swords even surpasses that of Shestie's or Raphael's holy swords.

Black Flower, holding two swords, smiled and said:

"Please rest assured, big brother. It seems I finally have a chance to repay your kindness."

At this point, Selfi, full of energy, continued:

"Yes! Yes! I will try my best! This is my home, and we can't rely on Mr. Sagan and others to protect it!"

Finally, Selphie gave Lilith a push on the back.

"Come on, Lilith, say something too."

"Eh? Well, while it's not exactly making up for failing to fulfill the agreement, I will definitely repay your kindness in helping us."

After saying this, the girls set off to challenge the black dragon.

Nephtros also stood up and extended her hand to Shessty.

"Come on, let's go too. We can't let the amateurs fight while the professional knights rest, can we?"

"I understand. Barbarossa doesn't have any objections, right?"

"...Okay, okay."

Nephtros and the others also began their own battles.

—But why am I squatting here?

His daughter cried for help, but his frail body couldn't respond. Not only that, he also needed his wife to comfort him.

—What kind of father can't respond to his daughter at a time like this!?

But no matter how hard Sagan tried to fight back, the magic beyond his power had already left his body battered and broken. The magic within him was surging wildly, and he was in so much pain that he was about to faint just from breathing.

However, Sagan couldn't let Nefi know about his pathetic state.

"Nefi... I'm alright now, go help them..."

This underwater city is more magical than the land-based one. The elven power Nephi mentioned must be abundant; her magical power must have increased.

Neferi is more powerful than Sagan is now in order to save Fal.

But Neferpitou held onto Sagan tightly and refused to let go.

"...Mr. Sagan, I'm sorry."

Then, she said regretfully:

"Actually, I've always felt that it's okay not to break Mr. Sagan's curse."

This is a confession that feels like a betrayal.

"Nefertari..."

However, Sagan could not blame Nefertari.

Sagan, held in Neferpitou's arms, weakly replied:

"...When Neferi turned into a child, I had the same thought."

At that time, Nefertari was innocent and naive, a child who could laugh naturally.

No painful memories, only a bright and glorious future.

Neferi should be able to let go of painful memories and relive the process of growing up.

—But I like Neferpitou as it is now.

It is precisely because of all the painful memories that Neferpitou loves Sagan. That's why Sagan asks Orion to restore Neferpitou to his original state.

Neferpitou rubbed his forehead against Sagan's and said:

"But that's not right, is it? If I want Mr. Sagan to remain the way he is now, wouldn't that be negating all the hard work Mr. Sagan has put in throughout his life?"

After Nefi finished speaking, he looked directly at Sagan.

"I'm not the innocent girl in stories. I've done bad things and had bad thoughts, but..."

Despite lowering her head in embarrassment, Neferpitou firmly stated:

"Even so, if this can help Mr. Sagan, would you please accept it?"

Sagan, in a state of confusion, could not comprehend the true meaning behind Nefertari's words.

However, he still answered with a smile, as if it were perfectly natural:

"...Of course I'll accept you, just like Neferpitou has always treated me the same way, hasn't she?"

This will not change, whether in the past or in the future.

Even if Sagan becomes weak and powerless, he cannot refuse Nephew.

Hearing this answer, Neferi seemed to breathe a sigh of relief from the bottom of her heart.

"Please accept this; it is all I can offer."

Illustration p275

After saying that, Nefi pressed his lips to Sagan's lips.

—Eh, eh eh eh eh? What? Why are you kissing at this time?