Clue (2)
“I will trap the Great Demon······.”
White Tower’s rooftop.
Temulen looked out at the distant open ground where a giant magic circle was spread out and clicked his tongue.
It was truly an absurd idea.
He knew that the guy had reached a realm beyond the vision of seeing souls.
But he never imagined that he would have devised a magic to implement the world beyond that.
He explained that the basic outline of the plan was to create a virtual world and trap the Great Demon inside it when he entered the magic circle.
“So you’re going to use that magic circle like ‘Alma’.”
‘Alma’ is not a simple memory implementation device.
He doesn’t know the principle at all, but it’s a device that can help you glimpse the unknown world inside your soul.
He was now trying to create a giant magic circle in the vast open ground to play the same role as ‘Alma’.
It cost a fortune of ten million gold to install ‘Alma’ in the basement of the tower.
How much magic power would it take to install a disposable magic circle that is hundreds, no, thousands of times larger than Alma?
Temulen, who had been calculating in his head, gave up thinking at the appearance of a number that would make him dizzy.
“A monster is a monster······.”
He really is a monster out of spec.
He can only be grateful to heaven for the fact that such a guy is on his side without any ill intentions.
“Will it work on the Great Demon······.”
It is said that the Great Demon is so weak in terms of head-on fights and hand-to-hand combat that he is incomparable to the superhumans of the present world.
Instead, he is good at all kinds of tricks and deceptions······.
Of course, his trap was unheard of and novel, but it was still unknown whether it would work on the Great Demon.
“I should be glad that it’s a magic that doesn’t cause damage to the surroundings.”
It’s a trap that you can’t escape once you’re in it.
But I was relieved that it was a non-lethal magic.
If all this was a misunderstanding and the opponent was not the Great Demon, it would be something to let go.
Even if a battle broke out inside, there would be no damage to the present world.
At least Temulen believed so.
Until the unidentified figure appeared.
“It’s started.”
The magic meter of the White Tower began to ring.
It was so faint that it could not be felt by human senses.
But it was an enormous magic power that far exceeded the limits of the machine’s investigation!
The moment he stepped into the open ground.
The magic circle activated and a huge amount of magic power surged up.
There was no way to avoid it.
The body of the man who had turned the feast of magic power upside down hardened.
His pupils lost their vitality, and he stood still like a wooden doll.
And the same was true of the guy who had cast the spell.
“Is that one step beyond me······.”
Before he knew it, the view inside the magic circle was filled with pitch-black darkness.
Soon, dizzying scenes began to pass by.
Temulen’s mouth fell open at this.
When viewed from the outside, it might just look like an ordinary, large-scale illusion magic.
But the story is different inside.
Have you ever seen an illusion that can interact with each other?
Have you ever heard of an illusion that can kill people?
You can laugh at it as if it were a joke from the outside.
But for the parties involved, it is a matter of life and death.
A forbidden art that literally approaches the level of creating the world.
That was his magic.
“Huh······?”
Temulen frowned and doubted his own eyes.
For a very short moment.
For a moment, it seemed that the corner of the man’s mouth moved.
That’s impossible.
You shouldn’t be able to move your body in the real world inside.
“······?!”
But Temulen’s eyes widened as the man’s eyes came to life.
His hands and feet began to move.
The magic was intact.
Even though it was operating perfectly, the man was moving his body in a world somewhere between reality and illusion.
“I see now. This is not your inner world.”
“Wh, what?”
Crash!
The ground froze every time the man took a step.
Dark clouds filled the sky.
Before long, a heavy snowstorm swept in and turned the vast open ground into a snowy field.
‘I’ve lost control!’
What is going on here?
Have I lost control of the magic circle?No, that couldn’t be.
It’s impossible to intercept magic that someone is casting.
It’s not difficult, it’s physically impossible.
If that’s the case, there’s only one possibility left.
That man has taken control of the world implemented by magic, not magic itself.
Perhaps.
No, definitely.
That man is far more capable than the guy who created the world in handling the world he created.
“No need for a fake.”
Bang!
The world created by pouring out a huge amount of magical power collapsed.
The magic circle cracked and split.
The field that had been filled with snowfields in an instant returned to a peaceful meadow as if the illusion magic had disappeared.
Before I knew it, Temulen was leaning over the roof with his mouth wide open.
“Beyond, beyond my realm······!”
I felt a thrill running through my whole body.
Now, it didn’t matter to Temulen whether he was a great demon or not.
The only important thing was that a superhuman among superhumans had appeared.
.
.
.
“Who are you?”
I couldn’t help but be surprised.
A large hat on his head.
And a thick chain and lock on the hat.
In addition, there was a blue flame floating next to it.
It’s really a strange sight.
But what surprised me was not because of its appearance.
“No. Are you a human being?”
“······.”
I can’t see ‘the world inside’ from him.
This is the first time I’ve seen this.
It’s natural that there is no inner world for the undead, but how can there be no inner world for a human being who is alive and well?
Does that mean this guy doesn’t have a soul either?
“Are you a human being? Your words are too harsh.”
“······I’m sorry.”
The girl answered, covering her face with a hat, perhaps a little offended.
I took her words and apologized roughly.
It seems that he doesn’t know about ‘the world inside’.
There seems to be no need to tell him about the existence of the inner world.
“It’s okay. I hear that a lot. Whether I’m a human being or not. Whether I’m a monster or not.”
“Your tone has become quite polite?”
“I’m sorry······. Actually, I thought you were a great demon, so I waited for you with a trap. But when I attacked you, I realized that you were not a great demon.”
“Do you know the great demon well? What’s the relationship?”
“There’s no relationship······. I just had a hunch that it would be.”
The girl hummed as if she had no confidence.
Do you feel like a mood maker who follows your intuition without any proper basis?
It seems to be a similar type to me.
Even with that intuition, I was not a great demon, so I can say that it is quite accurate.
“Then······. Are you a human being? How on earth did you destroy my magic? It’s a super ultimate technique that I’ve been researching for over a year······!”
“Your magic just happened to be my specialty.”
It was a perfect environment for me to be active.
If this guy had laid an ambush with an attack spell on the magic circle, I would have had to resist without any defensive characteristics (of course, if such a spell had been laid, I would not have entered in the first place).
The magic that the guy had just cast was a magic that artificially implemented ‘the world inside’ in a similar way.
For a moment, I thought that the guy’s magic would be a lifeline to solve my existential absence.
But after taking control of the artificial world and examining it carefully, I realized that this could not be ‘my inner world’.
It’s just a well-made imitation.
Only the shell looked plausible, but the core was missing.
But that doesn’t mean it’s useless.
If there is no core, all you have to do is put it in.
This guy doesn’t even know what ‘the world inside’ is.
He created this magic without knowing it.
If so, what kind of magic would be born if I taught him directly and awakened ‘the world inside’?
Maybe I can figure out a way to restore my existence.
I found such endless possibilities from the girl I met for the first time today.
“Nice to meet you. I can’t tell you my name, but I’ll ask for your help.”
“Oh my. We have similar circumstances. I don’t have a name either. To be exact, my master left without giving me a name.”
“We both have strange destinies.”
“Yes.”
When I held out my hand, the girl laughed curiously and stood up, holding it tightly.
I feel like something in my heart has been connected.
We don’t know each other’s names, identities, or anything, but it doesn’t matter anymore.The moment we both realized that we had reached a realm that ordinary humans could not reach, the sense of kinship that arose melted away all those boundaries.
Is this what the terrible loneliness that the strong feel is like?
I feel an infinite sense of joy towards this comrade who has appeared after I have been pondering and searching for a breakthrough all alone.
“But what is that iron chain you’re carrying on your head? Isn’t it heavy?”
“Excuse me? An iron chain?”
“······?”
“What are you talking about?”
The girl tilts her head as she feels her hat.
She is clearly feeling the iron chain with her hand.
She just looks confused, as if she can’t feel anything.
What is going on here?
Can only I see that iron chain?
I was speechless with bewilderment.
[Great Demon Belphegor! You are surrounded!]
“······?!”
A thunderous voice echoed from the sky through a loudspeaker.
The moment I looked up in surprise.
A giant airship appeared over the mountain range and opened its hatches.