34.2 Appearing with Pain, the Aberrant Overlord’s [Demon Form]
It is the sound of Lizette’s sword and a giant bee’s stinger scraping against each other.
[Are you alright, Lizette!?]
[Ye, yes. My apologies, Shouma-nii-sama!]
Entomancers are seriously annoying. So, this time it’s a bee?
The guy── Glia Piller’s true body is flying about while scattering bees around. There’s a total of 8 with 2 heading our way. The rest of them are heading towards the oni tribesmen and the villagers.
[Sorry. Lizette, head back and help the oni tribesmen and the villagers again.]
[Very well. But, what about Shouma-nii-sama?]
[I’ll take 『Doushi Glia Piller』 down. Otherwise, this will never end.]
Once I confirm that Lizette has taken off, I look up overhead.
『VUVUVUVUVUVUVUVU!!』
[Annoying.]
I activate 『Dragonkin Awakening』.
Then with 『Dragon Breath』, reduce the bees heading towards me into ashes.
The 『Doushi』 true body scurries about from place to place. 『Dragon Breath』 doesn’t seem to be able to hit the guy. On the other hand, if I were to fight him in the air, the guy would just summon more insects. What a pain. If only there were an easy way to shoot him down from the ground──
[『Aberrant Overlord, you say? What a joke!』 『The great Black Flame Emperor is the one true overlord!』 『Those who know not of the darkness shall become feed for the insects!』 『KUKAKAKAKA』!!]
[── Aah?]
Enough already, this is getting on my nerves.
First soldiers, then bugs. Just a small fry who’s scurrying about while using every single little trick in the book. This ain’t nothing to sneer about!
[Those who know not of the darkness, you say.]
「『KUKAKAKA!?』」
The 『Doushi』, watches me. He opens his crescent-shaped mouth and laughs.
[Those who know nothing of the darkness…. don’t get to laugh. Shut your trap.]
I say.
[There’s no way someone who uses others and laughs loudly can understand true darkness.]
The insects are that guy’s familiars- in other words,『Demons』. Furthermore, I’ve been defeating them for a while now. As such, that skill manifested long ago.
The 5th power of 『Kiryuuou Shouma』 that even deals damage to its owner.
[──『In the name of the Aberrant Overlord, Kiryuuou Shouma, release the prohibited power. Harken, the aria of darkness──』]
Thus, I declare so as I hold my left arm.
[『Within my hands is true darkness』]
I── evoke the words of power that I had almost forgotten
……Honestly, why do I have to utter these lines even after entering my thirties………
[『 The beast born from shadows
The darkness that bears 88 names
Become my sword that devours the enemy, sword of the end』]
「『KUKAKA?』 What are you on about……?」
[ 『The providence of the high heavens has passed
The throne of the Aberrant Overlord was forgotten with time
The blood of the king shall awaken the beast of the underworld
Take the countless fools as your flesh and blood!!』]
[What the…. I do not get any of your words! What are you trying to say!?]
[Ask that to my teenage self!!]
I stab my sword into the ground and complete the skill’s activation ceremony.
[This is the power that’ll send you down to the bottom of the netherworld──『Demon-kin awakening』!]
Then── a bluish black fog of mana envelopes my body.
My appearance changes. From the clothes of this otherworld that I’m starting to grow accustom to, I come to wear garments of my previous world. The hair that had been cut short when I entered the workforce grows, and a white cloth twines around my body.
──『Demon-kin Awakening』.
Among the forms of 『Kiryuuou Shouma』, this one boasts the strongest offensive power. 『Oni-kin』 is oni, 『Dragonkin』 is dragon, 『Winged-kin』 is winged folk in general. Demon-kin renders using the power of 『demon』 possible.
It is my most difficult to handle, largest damage dealing,──
──and most embarrassing power.
[……Ooh.]
The bluish black fog clears. My transformation is complete.
……I want to go home right now and hide in my bed.
[Shouma-nii-sama, what is that appearance!?]
[Sorry, Lizette. Stop looking in my direction.]
[But, but, you look really cool──]
[Never mind that! It’s a command of your sworn older brother. You’re my junior!!]
I turned towards Lizette and joined my hands together[1].
I’m glad I don’t have a mirror with me. I wouldn’t be able to bear seeing myself in this appearance.
On my left arm, a sloppily wrapped bandage sways.
My right hand feels heavy, then I realize I’m wearing two 2 bracelets on it. They’re the ones with power stones that I had supposedly lost back in my previous world, the ones I had bought with pocket money I had saved up when I was a chuunibyou.
My forehead is also wrapped with a bandage. If I remember correctly, this (setting) is to hold back the chakra in the middle of my forehead and keep it from running amok. My grown bangs are to hide my glowing, red, left eye.
The black coat has been lengthened to match my current physique.
I didn’t summon the genuine articles, rather, these clothes were temporarily generated from mana.
This is 『Demon-kin Awakening』.
The thirty something Kiryuu Shouma is now wearing the outfit of his chuunibyou-era Kiryuuou Shouma.
[GUHAA!!]
Ouch, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow.
No good. As I thought, this appearance is just way too severe. The amount of mental damage is staggering.
Its overwhelming power makes it suitable for dealing with large groups, but…… when it comes to this skill, my mental health won’t last.
Please spare me…… I’ve already made a complete recovery from being a chuunibyou……
[Why do I have to cosplay as a chuunibyou even after entering my thirties……]
A fluttering black coat, my forehead and left arm are wrapped in bandages, and there’s a pair of bracelets, silver and a black, on my right arm. If I were to unwrap the bandage on my left arm, my self-made crest would probably appear there. I’ll absolutely never take a look at it though!
[……What, you, what is that appearance!?]
Above, the eyes of insect like 『Doushi』 open wide.
Did my sudden transformation surprise him, or did he get overwhelmed by 『Demon-kin Awakening』’s enormous amount of mana……?
[Is there any significance in explaining to someone who’s soon to disappear?]
The reason why I took this appearance is to take down the 『Cult of Awakening Contentment』 here and now. With my highest offensive power, and most flashy power, I’ll make them understand how dangerous it is to mess with ajin. It’s all so that the Hazama village and the neighboring village won’t be attacked ever again.
Also, if possible, so I don’t have to take on this appearance ever again as well……
[Starting now, you shall come to know true darkness. The power of 88 Demons, born from the chaos of days long past, who flickered about before taking form in this life, of the Aberrant Overlord 『Kiryuuou Shouma』!]
Are my words.
Let me clarify just in case, this is the invocation spell. Those words can’t be helped.
[88 Demons!?]
[That’s right, I’ll open the gate for a multitude of demons, demons whose names I don’t even know the half of!]
I draw a magic circle with my fingertip.
The 88 Demons── They’re literally familiars created using my mana. I have established a setting for 20 of them. Halfway through, I lost interest.
Among them, the one that seems to be usable is……
[『Emerge from the shadows 《From Hide-Shadow》』!! 『Hawk of Darkness』!!]
I strike my shadow with my heel.
『GISHAAAAAAAA!』
A black── silhouette-like bird soars out from my shadow. It flies straight toward the bees buzzing above the oni tribesmen and the villagers
[Wh──!?]
『GISHA! GISHA GISHAAAAAAAAAAAA──!!』
The shadowy bird shrieked── Zashu.
The buzz from the wings of the bees… disappear. All of the bees, as they have their wings torn and abdomens pierced, fall.
[…. Wh, what was that?]
[I couldn’t see anything. Did the Overlord-sama’s familiar get the bees!?]
[Amazing… so this is the Aberrant Overlord’s── power.]
Garunga-san and the others murmur.
But enough with saying 『Aberrant Overlord』, it’s breaking my concentration.
[Familiar of the Overlord! Attack the Doushi!]
I say.
The silhouette hawk changes direction for the 『Doushi』 who’s flying around in the air.
[Impossible!]
The 『Doushi』 shrieks。
[Impossible! Impossible! 『O, Sw, Sw, Sw, Sw──Swordbug. Come forth』!!]
Zakun.
The 『sickle』 sprouting from the 『Doushi』’s mantle bisects my bird.
[Ho, how is that. A familiar of only this degree── is nothing before my dark magic……]
[Well, of course. I didn’t give it that much mana after all.]
[Wh-!?]
[To tell you the truth, this is my first time using this technique. So, I tried it out with the weakest familiar. But as I thought, its precision is rather poor, and my commands aren’t transmitted well. Well, if it’s like this, I may as well force it through.]
[…….. A, a, aaaa.]
Hm? The face of the 『Cult of Awakening Contentment』’s 『Doushi』 has turned pale. Has it been like that for a while now?
Well, he’s a mamono. Of course, read his complexion is going to be hard.
Before I knew it, the battle between the allied front of oni tribesmen-villagers and the cult’s soldiers had already ended, too. All of the soldiers have been neutralized and are crouching down. As expected, all of them are looking this way with paled faces.
That’s strange. Should they be accustomed to seeing familiars already? Why are they quivering that much? If they’re like this, then if a formally summoned person…… like Yukino were to be their opponent, they’d die from shock.
[As I thought, looks like ordinary magic is more convenient than familiars……]
I wonder why my chuunibyou-era self didn’t make [Demon-kin Awakening] a master of the convenient homing magic? Nah, I’m sure it was because a finishing move based around familiars is just cooler.
[……What is it? Have you finished with your insects?]
I faced the 『Cult of Awakening Contentment』’s Doushi and told him such.
[If you no longer have the power to fight, then answer my question. 『Cult of Awakening Contentment』’s Doushi── no, high-ranking mamono, Glia Piller. Are there others like you? Are there more mamono who infiltrate the organizations of humans and erode them from within? To what organizations do those others belong? If the bugs have finished, then this battle is over. Surely you don’t mind answering my questions?]
[……DON’T SCREW WITH MEEEEEEEEE!!]
『Doushi Glia Piller』 bares his teeth and shrieks.
[『──Come forth!]」
Zururi.
A giant spider appears from the Doushi’s mantle.
[『On to a superior body── to that of a human’s』──『Excite your instincts』── 『Appetite── devour, devour, devour, devour』──『In the name of the Great Black Flame Emperor』]
『Doushi Glia Piller』 mounts a purple-eyed, giant spider. His upper body sinks down and merges with the spider. He is no longer a human nor an insect. If one were to insist on calling him something, ‘a green spider creature with feathers’ would be close.
[『OOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAA!!』──『For the new dynasty that shall serve as the vessel of the Black Flame Emperor』──『Formidable enemies shall be eliminated here』──『The useless shall be eaten, as feed』──]
The spider spits out threads in all directions. Also, it leaps up into the air with its giant legs. It sure is fast, even though it’s a spider.
The spider then lands on top the robed man who’s lying on the ground.
[GWEH!? DO, DOUSHI-SAMA!?]
[『You’ll be devoured later』──『You shall become a vessel for the spider’s hatchlings.』]
It happens in a moment.
A thread spat out by the giant spider envelops the robed man. Afterwards, a smaller spider slides down on top of him. Karikari, it’s scratching the thread. Apparently, it intends to devour him as he is.
[『You』──『Enclose』──『Devour』──『Become feed』──『The frontier, too』『Your village, too』『That girl, too』『Everyone』『Sacrifice for the cult』]
[……Is that so.]
I check my remaining amount of mana.
『Oni』 and 『Dragon』 have been reduced by 20%. 『Winged』 is down to around half. 『Demon』 is pretty much at full tank. Doing something amazing should be fine.
I’ll overwhelm him here with the showiest technique I can muster. One that’ll make the 『Cult of Awakening Contentment』 never feel like treading into the frontier ever again.
[Then, let me show you. The 『Aberrant Overlord』, Kiryuuou Shouma’s technique. Behold and ascertain this with those eyes.]
[Yes, Shouma-nii-sama!]
[Overlord! The Aberrant Overlord!]
[Overlord-sama!!]
[Overlord Shouma-samaa!!]
[That wasn’t meant for Lizette, the oni tribesmen, or the villager-san! Rather, look the other way!]
I frantically retort as I release my mana.
『Demonic』 mana. 『Dragonic』 mana.
I slowly meld them together in order to create the 16th familiar.
No…. was it the 17th? Or perhaps, was it the 11th route….? Nah, that doesn’t matter.
So long as it’s a power to survive these turbulent times with my companions, then whatever’s fine!
[──『Emerge from the shadows 《From Hide-Shadow》 』!! One that possesses the attributes of both dragon and demon──『Twin-headed Dragon』!!]
In the next moment──
From my shadow, a huge twin-headed dragon about the size of a large tree appears. Unlike the dragons of this world, it is a shadowy dragon with a long, long, body. The way to use it── I get it. It’s really simple.
With this guy, of the 9 finishing moves of 『Kiryuuou Shouma』── I should be able to use that one!
[Allow me show you who’s about to disappear, my secret technique, 《Absolute Sight (Twin headed Dragon, Absolute Seal, Destruction, Slash)》!!]
『GUOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAA!!』
Then, the twin-headed dragon rushed the Doushi Glia Piller.
[1] The context here is, he’s begging her to look the other way.
Poor, poor MC, Comdemned eternally to revive his most shameful events again and again… XD