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

Raphael stood guard behind Sagan and said:

"I'm sorry!"

"No, it's alright. You've been a great help."

To be honest, that was a close call.

Without a loyal butler to help remove the "mud," Sagan would have had to cut off his own arm to get rid of it. It's fortunate that he only suffered burns.

However, revealing the holy sword might be considered a major blunder.

The magicians who had escaped into the sky began to whisper among themselves.

"Hey, isn't that the Holy Sword?"

"Why can the Undead use the Holy Sword?"

"Could he be a church spy?"

This predicament is all the fault of the "Demon King" Bifron. Since they are both "Demon Kings" and possess the Holy Sword, it's no wonder that people suspect their connection to the Church.

Impersonating "Varefar" had lost its purpose, so Raphael took off his helmet.

When the magicians saw the true face beneath the helmet, they all turned pale.

"It's Raphael, the magician hunter! He's still alive!"

Facing the bewildered magicians, Raphael shouted:

"We have relinquished that title. Now we are the sword of Sagan, the Demon King."

I wonder how much of Raphael's explanation they took to heart.

In short, the magicians' hostility wasn't as high as expected, thus avoiding the trouble of being attacked from both sides. However, they probably didn't quite trust Raphael either. Everyone retreated, seemingly unwilling to get involved in any trouble.

They were all self-aware enough to know that they couldn't help Sagan in the current situation.

Well, it's much better than being hostile towards each other.

The fear spread under the guise of the "Demon King" seems to have had a deterrent effect. Now, thank goodness, no more enemies will appear.

As an aside—the mermaid girl had already peacefully passed out.

—This burden is really in the way.

Although the mud was driven away for a time, it didn't mean it had disappeared. It slowly climbed back onto the ship and approached Sagan.

"Raphael, burn all that 'mud'."

"Yes, ma'am."

Dealing with this "mud" bare-handed is not a good idea. Even if you can shoo it away, just one drop will cause chaos.

Raphael's holy sword is more suitable for dealing with them.

Upon receiving the order, Raphael unleashed his purifying flames. The 'mud' that his fists couldn't blast away was gradually burned away.

But as soon as the 'mud' was burned off, the rest immediately began to grow back.

—So this tactic can only prevent, not eliminate?

If all twelve holy swords were present, they might be able to handle it, but Raphael alone couldn't manage it.

As the shipwreck slowly sank, Sagan gradually lost his way out.

Sagan had the mermaid girl lie down on the deck to the side, and then wrapped magic around her fist.

I wonder if "Tianlin" would work on this stuff...

But the total amount of mud has already exceeded the size of the ship, and the magic trick is not yet complete.

With Sagan's current strength, how much effect can he possibly have?

And at that very moment—

A clear, melodious voice rang out.

"—He is the one who shines like a star. He holds the scales of justice, mediating between good and evil—"

The voice sounds like Neferpitou.

—But not Nefertari.

Sagan was startled and looked up at the night sky, where he saw Nephroth singing a hymn.

She had her back to the golden moonlight and covered her chest with her hands, as if praising her beloved.

A voice that is almost pure and clear.

That was completely different from when he was hostile towards Neferi; his posture even carried a certain sense of holiness.

Yes, singing.

That's not a meticulously planned technique like magic.

That was a prayer to something inhuman, a song of making a wish.

It is a sentence whose structure is clearly different from that of magic.

And such songs began to gather a powerful force no less than that of mud.

With each verse sung, a glow like fireflies would emanate, swirling and dancing around the girl. Under the veil of night, it looked like stardust.

"—Now that the scales of heaven are shattered, order is lost, and the earth will be stained crimson. This is the hammer of judgment, the hammer of retribution, the hammer of forgiveness for sins—"

The stardust-like light changed direction and attacked the 'mud'.

The 'mud,' which even the flames and lightning of magic, and Sagan's fist could not shatter, gradually dissipated like melting ice. It looked somewhat similar to Raphael's purifying flames, but its power far surpassed them.

—However, what exactly was that mournful sound and expression...?

It clearly evoked a powerful force, yet the song itself filled the listener with sorrow; it was a poignant and beautiful melody.

Then, Sagan discovered something.

—Could this actually be a direct expression of Nephtros's emotions?

He has no basis for his claim.

But listening to this song, Sagan inexplicably recalled Nefi's profile when she had hurt her before.

"No...that's not Neferpitou."

That was Neferi, who had been abused before, and the girl looking at her with heartache.

She wanted to help the girl, but because of the girl, she lost her place to stay.

As she sang, memories of the unfortunate girl flooded into Sagan's mind.

—Where did this memory come from...?

Turning his head, he saw Raphael beside him shaking his head, his expression full of confusion. It seemed that not only Sagan but everyone who heard the song had seen this scene.

Whether or not he noticed this, Biffron smiled, holding a glass of wine that he had somehow gotten his hands on.

"How is it? Don't you think it's beautiful? This is the divine magic radiance that only noble elves could use in the past. This is the power of the gods that can even annihilate demon gods."

He was overjoyed with his research findings and raised a glass to celebrate.

At the same time, Nephroth's chant was coming to an end.

"—The light of heaven has become stars. Its all-encompassing brilliance has fallen as calamity. Without mercy or lament, it has perished in judgment. This is the prayer for atonement—the annihilating meteor, Aster Ekrixis!"

Particles of light emanated from Nephroth's body, then poured onto the 'mud' like a meteor shower.

That was the light of destruction that could penetrate the mud and burn it away.

"This is... divine magic..."

Bifron spent three hundred years recreating it and bestowed upon Nephroth the power of the gods. Even Sagan, the demon lord who focused on combat, could not achieve such destructive power.

The starlight, burning 'mud', began to gather and expand.

Is it about to explode?

If such immense magical power were to be transformed into destruction, it wouldn't just be the cruise ship wreckage; perhaps the entire lake would be evaporated.

"—Tsk. Time to go, Raphael."

Sagan picked up Raphael and the mermaid girl and fled into the sky, while Neferi and the others assumed a protective stance.

However, the great destruction that Sagan feared never came to pass.

"Huh...?"

It's unclear who leaked the information.

The expanding light abruptly disappeared.

With a soft plop, a drop of red water landed on her face.

"How...could this be...?"

Red droplets spread along Nephtros's body.

The water droplets stained her brown skin a deep red, and a liquid like tears flowed from her mouth and eyes. Nephroth's face showed more disbelief than anyone else's.

"Blood……?"

As Sagan sensed something amiss, Nephtros had already fallen from the golden moon.

The girl's golden eyes, tinged with confusion and disappointment, met his gaze at one point along the way.

"what……"

Neferpitou reached out to catch her, but missed her by a hair's breadth.

A dull thud sounded as the girl crashed heavily onto the sinking ship.

On the sloping deck, red stains gradually spread.

The abrupt closing of the event left Bivron with a helpless sigh.

"Sigh...it seems her body still can't keep up with that powerful magic?"

There was not a trace of consolation or sympathy for Nephtros in Bivron's tone.

That being said, Nephroth is not dead.