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

After all, that kid isn't exactly a good boy; he definitely won't swallow the insult of being ignored by the Demon King.

However, Barbaros did not disappoint when he appeared, as he was indeed carrying the Holy Sword.

"Take it."

"...When did you hide under my skirt?"

When Shessty accepted the holy sword, she bit her tongue in her panic, causing her to struggle again.

Barbaros put on a disdainful face.

"Of course it was there from the beginning. Hey, don't flatter yourself, because I'm only interested in people older than me, it hurts!"

With tears welling up in her eyes, Shestie slapped Barbaros across the cheek.

"That wretched woman...!"

"Shut up, Barbaros. You're in the wrong this time."

Finally, Sagan's gaze turned toward Nefertiti.

"So, Neferi. They all seem willing to lend you a hand, but what about you? Are you really prepared to fight for those who have hurt you?"

Nefi's azure eyes sparkled as she nodded firmly.

"yes!"

Sagan handed the mermaid girl he had been holding to Neferi. It was impossible for her to fight while carrying such a burden.

Then he turned his gaze to Barbaros.

"Barbaros, I'm counting on you to secure a foothold for Raphael and the others."

"Stop giving orders—...Huh? What did you just say?"

"...? Did I say anything strange?"

Barbaros said in disbelief:

Did you just say "please"...?

"Really? You must have misheard."

Sagan looked down at the 'mud-like demon' that was lingering below.

"Now, it's time to wipe out the monsters."

And while you're at it, save that unfortunate princess.

—I see. The feeling of 'depending' on someone isn't so bad after all.

Shesty had said she hoped Sagan would ask her for help, and that he had actually been relying on Neferpitou for a long time.

She has a point.

Sagan would not have received these beneficial powers if he had relied on himself alone.

◇

*Sigh*

It was Fa'er who launched the first attack.

She took a deep breath and set up several layers of magic circles in front of her.

Then, he exhaled dragon breath into it.

The dragon's breath, amplified by magic, transformed into a dazzling flash of light that pierced through the "Mud-like Demon God".

The 'mud-like demon' with a large hole in its body lost its balance slightly and then collapsed.

"...It seems to have worked."

"Well done. Keep up the support."

After praising his daughter's effort in launching the attack, Sagan landed on the lake. A piece of ship wreckage lay right on the tip of the fallen "Mud Demon's" nose. It seemed that physically destroying the ship with his fists earlier had been the right thing to do; many large pieces of wood floated on the lake, providing footholds.

Upon closer inspection, the 'Mud Demon' is as big as a house just from its head alone.

—Even though it's a monster, beating up someone who looks like Neferpitou is really unsettling.

Therefore, Sagan decided to first make herself no longer see that face.

"What on earth have you been eating to get so fat?"

Sagan spoke with a mocking tone, his right hand already surrounded by a magic circle.

The magic circle, inlaid with thousands of circuits, not only absorbed magic power from Sagan but also from the 'Mud Demon God,' and grew brighter and brighter.

"Burn everything—<Tianlin>!"

A heavy, tactile sensation, like plunging your hand into mud, came through me.

The asphalt-like 'mud' gripped Sagan's fist.

"It doesn't work for it?"

A magician who had escaped into the sky spoke up.

"—No, it works."

Immediately afterwards, black flames erupted.

The ink-like substance that spewed from Sagan's fist was the residue from the burning of the 'Mud Demon's' face after it was shattered.

Since it is the 'Heavenly Phosphorus' that can burn even droplets, it won't get stuck with 'mud' like before.

The damage just now was not limited to the head; it even destroyed half of the 'Mud-like Demon God's' chest.

The sight left Barbaros speechless.

"...Hey, hey, hey, how many circuits are actually coded into that?"

It turns out that the "Celestial Phosphorus" that Barbaros saw before only had about two thousand circuits incorporated into it.

Now, there are twice as many as before, reaching a total of four thousand scores.

But that's still not enough.

The black flames produced by burning the 'Mud-like Demon God' gradually became less intense, and the 'mud' surged back.

The regeneration speed of the mud is much faster than before. It seems that after obtaining the form of the dark elves, the mud has also learned to divide tasks. Now the mud is performing its duties and operating with a purpose, which is much more efficient than when it spread aimlessly before.

But then Sagan saw it—

"Nephtros!"

From the shattered chest of the "Mud Demon God," the pitiful upper body of the dark elf was revealed.

The girl's pointed ears trembled slightly when her name was called.

Is she still alive?

But her appearance was only for a moment, and she was immediately buried in the mud again.

"Hey, Sagan, danger!"

The regenerated 'mud' surged forward, ready to engulf Sagan as well.

"Shine—the Holy Sword Azrael!"

Shestie stepped forward to Sagan.

Holding the sheathed holy sword, she finished reciting the incantation, and a purifying light emanated from the gaps in the scabbard.

"Ah ah!"

The holy sword seemed to have unleashed a horizontal slash.

However, what Sagan saw was a net of countless flashing swords.

The girl, who appeared to be only swinging her sword once, had actually unleashed a double-digit number of consecutive slashes in the blink of an eye.

Even without the baptismal armor, a paladin's primary equipment, she was still incredibly powerful.

Why is she usually so timid and cowardly?

This is something Sagan simply cannot understand.

Now, the approaching mud exposed its cross-section and turned into dice-like shapes, collapsing in pieces.

However, while the attack was incredibly powerful and fast, its range wasn't as wide as Raphael's flames. The 'mud' quickly regrouped and attempted to regenerate—

"Burn everything—the Holy Sword Metatron!"

Raphael arrived just in time. The remains that had been shattered by Shess's light were soon burned away by Raphael's flames.

Unable to withstand the damage, the Mud Demon leaned back and left the wreckage.

—Having two holy swords on the field at the same time is really reliable.

If they were enemies, just thinking about it makes one break out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, they are all on our side now.

But after all that fuss, it seems that it didn't cause any fatal damage to the 'Mud Demon God'.

Despite being struck by the Demon King, slashed by two holy swords, and breathed by a dragon, the Mud Demon God not only remained unchanged in size, but its regeneration speed also showed no signs of diminishing.

Therefore, Sagan smiled proudly.

—If you don't put on airs at a time like this, what kind of "Demon King" are you?

Then, he started shouting at the top of his lungs:

"Dig up this clump of 'mud'! The spirit inside is still alive!"

The magician who was attacked at the beginning was completely destroyed, but Nephroth's body was still inside.

Was it because of the difference in the total amount of magic? Or did the noble elves have some kind of resistance to this stuff? Sagan didn't know the right answer, she only knew that since she was still alive, there might still be hope.

—If Nephtros can be separated from it, the 'mud' should stop growing.

But the 'Mud-like Demon God' that had finally gained form would not allow them to do as they pleased.

Its regenerated head opened its wide mouth.

"Watch out, attack!"

Is that a breath attack? Or is it preparing to breathe fire? Or maybe it's about to chant a spell.