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

Far, trembling, asked from behind Sagan:

"Sagan, why...?"

She was probably asking Sagan why she had incited him like that. After all, if he looked down on us, it would be easier to deal with him.

Sagan explained in a gentle and courteous manner:

"Didn't I tell you I'd teach you how to take revenge? Making the other person go all out, and then utterly defeating them, is one way to bring humiliation and despair."

His murderous aura was indeed extraordinary, but if asked whether Sagan could not win, the answer would be no.

—Besides, if he can deal with this Paladin Commander, it will be like adding another layer of prestige to his reputation.

No one dares to oppose Sagan openly now, but some are still lurking in the shadows, eyeing him covetously. The Paladin Commander's head is more than enough to deter them.

Sagan pushed off the ground. The rocky surface shattered, and in the blink of an eye, he was close to Raphael.

"bawl……!"

"—Too slow!"

Illustration p207

Raphael's holy sword came down, but Sagan deliberately caught it with his right hand.

Although it was empty-handed, it wasn't bare-handed.

It turned out that a magic circle formed by condensed magic power had already lit up in Sagan's palm.

Although the magic circle was small, the seemingly radiant lines were actually all "circuits" made of emblems, numbering at least two thousand. It was this magic circle that blocked Raphael's initial attack.

Even the Purifying Flame couldn't instantly burn down two thousand "circuits".

Let's call it "Heavenly Scales".

Sagan did not rely excessively on the power of the Demon King.

Sagan's magic was once destroyed by the Holy Sword. This is the new magic he developed to defeat the Holy Sword.

Although this move is advanced, it is not some kind of magic with extraordinary power.

It is simply exceptionally hard. Not only can it absorb the magic of enemies, but it can also absorb the surrounding magical energy, thereby continuously increasing its strength. This magic is practically useless to other magicians except for Sagan.

This magic circle, which was useless except for its hardness, emitted a crisp, clanging sound and deflected the holy sword.

Such an impact is probably like striking a rock with a sword. An average person would likely have their arm bones shattered by that force.

But Raphael's holy sword did not leave his hand.

"Wow, to take that attack and still not let go, that's admirable."

"Ugh...!"

But the Flame of Purification continues to burn.

Although Raphael looked distressed, he immediately gripped his greatsword again and attacked.

The holy sword slashed straight down at Sagan from above.

The dazzling flames were blinding, and the white afterimages were branded into Sagan's eyes. While her opponent's swordsmanship and the power of the incineration magic were formidable, the loss of sight was even more fatal.

Sagan swiftly raised his leg to change direction. The white blade then grazed past the tip of his upturned nose and slammed hard into the ground.

With a loud thud, the earth shook.

"Ah ...

Fa'er let out a weak moan.

The flames of purification coursed across the ground. Raphael's strike shattered deep cracks in the rocky surface, cracks wide enough to engulf Fa'er.

—That brute force is outrageous.

Even with his baptismal armor and the holy sword enhanced, Raphael could hold his own against Sagan, a magician specializing in combat.

If it were a contest of pure physical strength, even the Demon King would find it difficult to withstand him. No wonder ordinary magicians would be utterly annihilated by him.

Even when confronted with this symbol of the Church's power, Sagan remained composed.

"If this place is destroyed, I'll be in big trouble."

Sagan swiftly stepped forward and scooped upwards, attacking his opponent with the "Heavenly Scale" in his palm.

Faced with a blow aimed at his face, Raphael swiftly withdrew his holy sword and used the belly of the blade to deflect the Heavenly Scale.

A heavy impact came.

"Foolish. Such a massive attack—hmm?"

Raphael wore a mocking expression, but his face then contorted in disgust.

It turned out that—even though he had completely blocked it, the paladin's massive body had floated up.

The attack from "Heavenly Scales" sent the Holy Sword and Raphael flying into the air.

"Oh no, this is really hard to control..."

The Holy Sword is a greatsword, and although it has a wide attack range, its weakness is that it is difficult to use flexibly. Once the enemy gets close, its power will be greatly reduced.

Sagan was able to block the initial attack not only because of the strength of the Heavenly Scale, but also because of his positioning that allowed him to intercept the force of the sword swing at close range.

However, this attack inadvertently knocked Raphael out of range.

Sagan placed his hands on the ground and lowered his body. Tianlin approached again as if it wanted to lift the earth, pushing the opponent with its palm and thrusting upwards.

But this time Raphael came prepared. He assumed a fighting stance and swung the holy sword straight down with both hands.

The Heavenly Scales clashed with the Holy Sword, sparks flying. The Heavenly Scales shattered, and the Flames of Purification dissipated like mist.

It seems that the power of "Heavenly Scales" and "Purifying Flame" is roughly equal.

"What!"

"Hmph, looks like it can only last three hits at most?"

Sagan muttered to himself without any emotional fluctuation.

While the move successfully withstood three direct attacks from the holy sword, it was certainly excellent, but not perfect. Against two or three opponents, it would be useless.

Although the initial results were acceptable, there is still a long way to go before it is truly finished.

Just as Sagan was calmly analyzing the performance of her magic, Barbaros's roar followed:

"What are you doing! Now is not the time to let your guard down!"

Although Raphael was greatly out of balance, he still held the holy sword tightly in his hand.

Sagan then let out a soft sigh.

"—Haven't I said this before? This is called the composure of the strong."

Raphael, now out of balance, is riddled with openings. Once the "Purifying Flame" dissipates, Sagan will be able to cast other spells without hindrance.

Even before the holy sword fell, Sagan's left fist had already struck his side.

Several magic circles were swirling around Sagan's arms.

That's the same magic trick that defeated Barbaros before. Even without using the Heavenly Scales, Sagan's fists could easily crush the Baptismal Armor.

He felt the sensation of bones shattering. It seemed the impact had penetrated his internal organs.

"Kha!"

Raphael, coughing up blood, was blasted against the entrance of the Demon King's Palace and collapsed into the inner hall.

The outcome is now decided.

But Sagan, who had just won, tilted his head, looking utterly bewildered.

"How weak. Is he really the paladin who killed nearly five hundred magicians?"

Even the formidable Paladin Commander couldn't harm a hair on Sagan's head. This also means that no one in the Church could single-handedly confront the Demon Lord.

Sagan glanced at Fael, and the young dragon girl, who had been staring blankly, finally came to her senses and applauded.

—Well, it felt pretty good...no, very pleasant.

Sagan waved to her quietly. And when she noticed his gesture, Far's eyes shone even brighter.

He had merely dealt with the troublesome enemy, yet Fa'er's utterly admiring gaze was incredibly gratifying. The common people had looked at him that way before, but he had remained unmoved then.

Sagan was beaming with delight, while Barbaross, sweating profusely, said:

"...He doesn't even pant, he's a monster."

Yes, that's the typical reaction.

Raphael's sword was indeed powerful enough to bring down even Barbaros, but paladins are different from magicians. Once they suffer a fatal wound, they're finished.

Barbarossa had taken this same tactic against Sagan before, and he got up on his own after a while, but Raphael probably won't be able to stand up.

But Sagan was wrong...

"...I see. That's truly astonishing strength."

Raphael coughed up blood and used his sword as a crutch to prop himself up.

What's wrong with this man?

Sagan gathered magic in his hands once more, assuming a fighting stance.

◇

Let's push the timeline back a little.

"I have to leave..."

The reason why Farfetch ran away from home was probably because of Shess.

Although she did nothing wrong, it was really too much to ask such a young child to live under the same roof as the compatriot of her father's killer.

Sagan should have gotten rid of Shesty.

Of course, she was grateful to Sagan for taking her in, but if it hurt Farr because of it, then she would be putting the cart before the horse.

As soon as Nefertari informed Sagan, he rushed to Farr's room. Shestia wanted to follow, but…

She hesitated, unsure whether she should pick up the holy sword.