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With the decisive battle officially announced, thunderous cheers from the surrounding circular stands erupted like a tidal wave, crashing toward the central battle platform with earth-shaking force.

The roar surged skyward like ocean waves against cliffs, causing even the demon-realm stone combat stage to tremble beneath the overwhelming sound.

[LONG LIVE HIS MAJESTY LEOHART!]

[LONG LIVE HIS MAJESTY LEOHART!]

[LONG LIVE HIS MAJESTY LEOHART!]

Standing on the battle stage, Venelana—ready to kick things off—surveyed the scene, feeling the ground shake beneath her. She touched her cheek with an amused sigh.

"Oh my~ Seems the Northern populace still believes the Current Demon Lord faction has the upper hand."

"Obviously!"

Someone answered her through the deafening cheers.

The next moment, a teleportation magic circle blazed to life ten meters away on the platform floor, and a small boy's figure materialized from within.

Oh?

As if witnessing something truly remarkable, Venelana raised an eyebrow the instant she glimpsed her opponent.

"So you're Luka-kun? Our first-round opponent?"

"That's correct."

The boy—whom Bokue had met briefly in the Current Demon Lord faction's lounge—nodded slightly. Despite his youthful appearance, his face held a composure completely at odds with his apparent age.

"Following His Majesty Leohart's orders, I'll be handling the opening match."

"Is that so?"

Venelana maintained her gentle, almost maternal smile.

"But Luka-kun, you don't exactly scream 'combat personnel' to me. If we're putting on a show, shouldn't we at least make it convincing? Isn't this fixed match a bit too obvious?"

"Don't worry—there's no need for such concerns."

Luka shook his head slightly.

"Lord Leohart sending me as the opener already proves otherwise. To make this battle believable, I'll use every ounce of my power. Besides..."

"Besides?"

Venelana tilted her head with curious interest, wanting to hear more.

Luka answered her with action instead of words.

The boy raised both hands high, magic circles blazing in his palms as the previously calm magical energy around him suddenly began surging like a violent geyser.

"Besides, I never said I'd be the only one fighting!"

With those words, Luka slammed his hands and their magic circles onto the ground.

The next instant, a sound like some ancient beast's roar echoed from the magic circle.

Hm?

Venelana let out a small sound of surprise.

Only now did she realize the boy hadn't prepared any attack magic—this was teleportation magic! Summoning magic, to be precise!

A summoner... I see.

The elegant milf seemed to understand.

Through the dust kicked up by the violently surging magical energy, a figure as tall as a skyscraper rose from the ground, breaking through the dust clouds to stand proudly upon the demon realm's earth.

"...What on earth is that?"

Venelana's anticipation quickly shifted to bewilderment as she blinked in confusion.

A giant... well, calling it a giant seemed appropriate enough.

What emerged from the summoning circle was a towering red humanoid colossus, but it didn't match any familiar summoned creature in Venelana's memory.

After all, devils had familiars too. Though most familiars in the demon realm were weaker than their masters, only serving support roles in battle.

But there were exceptions—a small portion of demons, weak themselves but highly compatible with summoned beasts, could summon powerful creatures as their primary combat force.

The problem was, even for summoned beasts and familiars, they at least had to be living creatures.

Yet this red humanoid colossus before her wasn't just non-living—with its cold, metallic mecha-like exterior, it looked like it could open a chest cockpit any second and pull someone up to pilot it.

"This is my primary combat method—summoning Ancient Heroic Spirits."

Breathing heavily as if the summoning magic had drained considerable stamina, Luka spoke in broken phrases.

"Though it appears quite cumbersome, its destructive power is undeniable."

"Oh~ Is that right?"

As the daughter of the Great King Bael family who inherited the Power of Destruction, Venelana's smile took on a subtle, dangerous edge.

When it came to pure destructive force, nobody in the same weight class dared challenge the Bael family.

"Then let me see for myself—"

Before she could finish speaking, the red colossus—which had been standing motionless like a statue—suddenly lowered its massive head without warning. The golden single eye atop its alien-like skull began to glow ominously.

The next instant, a light cannon charged with terrifying magical power skipped the charging phase entirely, descending with devastating force toward Venelana on the ground below.

❁❁❁❁

WHOOOM——!

A magical light cannon capable of vaporizing an entire city district in an instant engulfed Venelana completely, like a high-temperature laser melting through a candle, directly liquefying the solid demon-realm stone beneath her feet.

This was a strike worthy of a High-Class Devil—no one would question its destructive capability.

But... not questioning didn't mean it was invincible or guaranteed victory.

"Hmm~ Though you talked it up like some miracle, little boy, it seems rather... underwhelming."

The elegant milf's relaxed voice drifted from within the still-descending torrent of annihilating light, where someone had raised a crimson magical barrier, effortlessly blocking the Ancient Heroic Spirit's assault.

No—not blocking. "Annihilating" would be more accurate.

As the magical barrier expanded, the Ancient Heroic Spirit's light cannon was completely absorbed like it had been fired into a black hole in space, consumed entirely without even a trace of energy spillover.

Meanwhile, Venelana remained completely unharmed—not even a speck of dust on her clothing.

"This..."

Luka, who'd been brimming with confidence about his summoned Ancient Heroic Spirit just seconds ago, froze in shock.

Venelana narrowed her eyes with a subtle smile.

"While your giant toy is certainly interesting, little boy, it's still not quite enough against the Bael family's Power of Destruction. Oh wait... am I being too much of a bully saying that?"

Realizing her words might have sounded overly condescending, the elegant milf covered her mouth apologetically.

"Mmm, better wrap this up quickly."

With a single finger gesture, the defensive barrier of destructive magic instantly transformed into a crimson spear, suspended in mid-air like an arrow nocked on a fully drawn bowstring, trembling with contained power.

Then Venelana flicked her finger. The crimson spear of destruction shot forward, effortlessly piercing the ancient Spirit's chest and blasting a massive circular hole through it.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Without any resistance whatsoever, the supposedly mighty Ancient Heroic Spirit dropped to one knee, its massive weight suddenly crashing down and shaking the entire arena.

Seeing this result, Venelana smiled with satisfaction.

"And that's the end of that."

As if the outcome was already decided, the elegant milf turned gracefully to leave.

But the next second, the "open-hearted" Ancient Heroic Spirit actually pushed itself up with one hand, trembling as it struggled back to its feet. Magical energy pulsed visibly from the hole in its chest as power coalesced to fill the gap.

It's an Ancient Heroic Spirit with self-repair capabilities?!

WHOOOM——

As its body regenerated, terrifying magical power gathered once again in the red colossus's golden eye.

Luka's youthful face flashed with determined resolve.

"NO! IT'S NOT... OVER YET!"

Is that so?

Hearing the commotion behind her, Venelana—who had been walking away with her back to the boy—didn't even turn around. She simply raised her hand and waved it casually.

"No, dear. Like I said—it's already over."

As her words concluded, the Power of Destruction she'd embedded within the Ancient Heroic Spirit with her spear finally erupted completely, transforming into a towering crimson pillar of light that engulfed the colossus entirely, annihilating it without a trace.

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