CH.44 12-4. Out of the Magic Hat Came a White Rabbit.
In Kainel’s Demon Lord route, the names of his abilities are inverted from those he originally used.
For instance, Shine Strike becomes:
「Dusk Edge.」
A black sword slash shot out, striking Magic Hat. With the Holy Sword in my hands, I could finally face her on equal footing.
“Heehee… the wound you’ve given me, my dear… does this mean I’m being covered in your essence too? This is fun! More, give me more!”
Despite her upper body being slashed and bleeding profusely, Magic Hat’s deranged behavior didn’t cease. Her resilience was almost awe-inspiring—was it because this was only the first phase?
“…Shut up.”
My thoughts were anything but calm. The condition for becoming a Demon Lord had to do with something happening to our saintess. I lunged at her with Wolf Fang, aiming for an opening.
“This is a bit… dangerous, isn’t it?”
“So you’re exactly as I remember, huh?”
“I’ve always been the same, my dear!”
Her attack patterns were identical. As expected, aiming for her blind spots seemed the most effective. I raised my sword for a frontal slash, but she blocked it. I’d have to switch to a combo attack.
“My dear, such attacks are meaningless. You can’t use your power on me….”
“…”
“But I can use mine on myself, you see? The power of lies.”
With a faint, slippery sound, her wounds began to heal. So, this is another way her power could be used? That meant I could likely replicate it too.
“Thanks for the tip.”
I launched another Dusk Edge, creating an opening. I adjusted my stance and combined the techniques I used against Servi with my Reverse Scale Thrust skill.
Excluding defensive techniques like the third form, I poured everything I had learned into this strike.
“So, it’s just that swordsmanship you showed earlier? Without the Holy Sword’s powers, it won’t work, you know?”
She was wrong. I’d never taken the Demon Lord route before, so even I didn’t know what was possible. I gritted my teeth and stamped hard on the ground, using my right hand to generate a wind pressure.
The strain from using three techniques simultaneously weighed on me, but I endured it. The ground rumbled beneath my feet.
I executed Vacuum Slash, Reverse Scale Thrust, and Shadow Slash at the same time.
─Clang!
“My dear, you still have such an adorable side to you. This time, I’ll make sure you stay by my side forever!”
Magic Hat effortlessly blocked the gale I had created using her trump cards.
Even if the Holy Sword had fallen to darkness, how could mere cards withstand it? I feigned another frontal attack, trying to bait her into lowering her guard.
“It’s useless. That swordsmanship won’t—”
─Clink!
But that wasn’t my real objective. I closed the distance further. This is why I love Wolf Fang for its dashing utility. Only a sliver of space remained between us.
I slashed, blocked, parried, thrust, and swung.
In that fleeting moment—
I found the method I needed. Using the power to shroud the world in darkness, I struck.
“This might hurt a bit.”
─Crashhhhh!!
“Huh? Ahhhhhh!”
I aimed for her vital point, striking hard. Blood splattered onto my helmet. I’d missed her heart, unfortunately. Not that this would have killed her anyway.
“How fascinating… how does this even work?”
Shadows were something I could easily conjure. In the game, they were supposedly “false,” meaning Shadow Slash didn’t work on her.
“Who knows? Isn’t your brain sharp enough to figure it out?”
I tapped the temple of my helmet with my fingers. I still held Kainel’s Holy Sword in my hand. Since it was an artifact-grade item forged by the gods, it felt similar to the weapons I used in the game.
“My dear, you’re so mean… You know I’m of the Light element!”
Despite being a Demon Lord, Magic Hat’s attribute was Light. That’s what made her such a tough opponent for the hero’s party. She stepped back, clutching her fists, stamping her feet in frustration.
“If it’s not a Dark element weapon, it’s impossible to pierce her.”
That was probably why, unlike others, I had succeeded in landing the first kill on her during Black Heart.
“Of course I know. So, what will you do now?”
“Fufu… In that case, all I need to do is change my attribute, don’t I?”
Her line signaled the start of phase two. In the game, if your party wasn’t composed of characters with all elemental attributes, you’d get a warning not to even try.
“Heehee… what should I switch to? Fire? Water? Ah, just like that glass knight earlier, Earth seems like a good choice!”
“You’re annoying. Can’t you just die already?”
“I’d consider it if it’s on the same day as you, my dear!”
On top of everything, she was a copycat who stole skills. I sighed deeply. Was she planning to mimic even Mardol’s magic?
「Mirror Mirage.」
Clap. Clap-clap.
The sound of applause echoed as black-hatted duplicates began to appear around her.
“…So now you’re using fakes with physical form?”
I hadn’t expected this. It seemed the Crown Prince was as overpowered as ever. My plan was starting to unravel. This new pattern might prove difficult to counter.
“Yes! You didn’t seem like a hero, but you’re quite the intriguing opponent!”
As her twisted smile deepened, I tightened my grip on the sword.
***
In the forest where Licht had disappeared, Kainel’s party was left behind.
“…Licht? Where did he go?!”
“Helmet Guy… is he really fighting the Demon Lord all by himself? What do we do, Kainel?!”
“Let’s trust him and wait. He told us to run, but… I refuse.”
Phine tried to calm the others as she spoke, and the two nodded reluctantly.
“He was definitely a Demon Lord.”
She replayed the recent events in her mind with her sharp eyes. The Demon Lords, based on all prior records, came in many forms.
“…A Black Knight. That’s what he called himself, right? Ariel?”
One notable trait of the Demon Lords is that they adopt the attire of their respective professions. In Magic Hat’s case, her magician-like outfit reflects this characteristic.
“Uh, yeah, Mardol. Still, doesn’t it feel very… ‘Helmet Guy’? He looked kind of sad.”