章 13: My name is Aurelius Nova Lucifer
"Is there anything on my face, Gazef Stronoff?"
"Ah, no... I just think your smile does indeed make others happy."
"Is that so? Well, I'm glad to hear that," Aurelius chuckled joyfully, eliciting a sigh of relief from Gazef.
Removing his rattling gauntlet, Gazef extended his hand toward Aurelius, who smiled in response and accepted the gesture.
"Thank you very much, Prince Aurelius. You did an amazing job protecting innocent people from the storm! And it's a selfish request, but I want you to protect the villagers once more. I don't have anything to offer you here. But I request, please..."
"No need for that. I've made a commitment to protect this village, and I intend to see it through to the end. After all, nothing can harm what's under my protection—under Aurelius Nova Lucifer's protection."
Hearing Aurelius's proclamation, Gazef felt his burdens lifted. He knew instinctively how heavy the name of this man he had never met was.
Following this, Gazef expressed his gratitude once again and decided to leave when, suddenly, Aurelius gave him the same Cash Shop item that Momonga had given him in the original.
'Gazef, my experimental subject... Ahem! I mean, future subordinate, how can I let you die so easily? Besides, there is also that fool of a man from Sunlight Scripture. Capturing him will surely provide some decent information and fertilizer for Nazarick, hehehe.'
With a sinister chuckle concealed within his thoughts, Aurelius bid farewell to Gazef.
"May fortune favor you, Warrior Commander."
"Thank you. I hope Prince Lucifer remains safe as well," Gazef responded before riding off into the distance.
Aurelius nodded silently, his gaze following Gazef until he disappeared from view.
Noticing her master's contemplative demeanor, Albedo, standing behind him, couldn't help but ask.
[Aurelius-sama, forgive my boldness, but why did you spare the lives of those soldiers? And can't we simply kill those worms trying to harm this village?
Mindful of their surroundings, she used the [Message] spell to communicate discreetly, and Aurelius responded in a similar manner.
[Albedo, I urge you to discard such simplistic thinking. Do you really think my goal was to merely save this village and do a good deed? Naive. Everything I did was for our and Nazarick's prosperous future. Besides, we must always remain vigilant, as there may be foes stronger than myself lurking in this world. Thus, I saw fit to let Gazef handle our affairs for the time being.]
[I see... so you used him as a pawn to feel out the enemy's strength. It is quite fitting to use inferior lifeforms like humans in that way.]
Although the closed helm revealed none of her emotions, Albedo's freshly flowered joy was obvious in her voice.
Upon realizing this, Aurelius faintly smiled, deactivated the [Message] spell, and issued an order.
"Albedo, Luminous, order the servants to search out the ambushers around us and knock them out once they are found."
"Understood."
"I will do so at once."
Nodding to them, Aurelius stared far into the distance; his bloody eyes were looking all the way beyond.
Obviously, he was using his skills and almost godlike perception to watch Gazef's battle.
Everything unfolded much like it did in the anime, with the battle starting with the emotional scene of Gazef's soldiers ready to sacrifice their lives for Gazef.
Following that, their confrontation with the members of the Sunlight Scripture commenced. Gazef showcased his martial arts, killing the angels one by one with his remarkable skills. Yet, despite his valiant efforts, the summoned angles were relentless, popping up in waves that felt endless.
As time wore on, the battle intensified, taking its toll on Gazef's strength and endurance, causing countless injuries to accumulate on his body.
Even though Gazef desperately wanted a moment to recover, the angels surrounding him obeyed their masters and mercilessly attacked him, one after the other, swinging their swords of scorching red flame.
As he evaded, counterattacked, and destroyed the angels one after the other, Gazef suddenly felt intense pain.
It felt like he had been struck hard in the belly.
Fortunately, after that, he instantly moved his body, somehow evaded the attack from behind, and parried a thrust from the side. He used the strong angles of his armor to deflect an angel's charge from above.
Gazef wanted to counterattack his foes, but he was greatly outnumbered.
As his strength diminished, he could only take out one opponent at a time since he lacked the stamina to use martial arts.
Even his subordinates fell one by one, and the enemy's attacks were concentrated on him. With no way to break through the enemy's encirclement, he felt death closing in on him.
His concentration faltered, and he nearly fell to one knee. He desperately tried to refocus so he could fight, but the invisible impacts came again, striking the tottering Gazef.
The world in front of him shook mightily.
Not good!
Gazef used all his strength to try and maintain his balance. However, something seemed wrong with his body, and the strength that should have held him up was nowhere to be found.
The itch of touching the grass spread through his body, and Gazef realized that he had fallen.
He struggled to rise again, but his body betrayed him.
The angels' blades spelled certain death for Gazef.
In the midst of the chaos, a tense verbal exchange unfolded between Nigun, the leader of the Sunlight Scripture, and Gazef, who knew his demise was imminent.
Despite the dire situation, though, Gazef maintained a calm smile, further enraging Nigun, who promptly issued a frenzied command.
"Angels, kill Gazef Stronoff," Nigun ordered, his voice dripping with malice.
Countless wings moved in response to that cold, cruel order.
Bracing himself for the inevitable, Gazef prepared to charge forward when suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind.
—Looks like it's about time to switch. Well done, Warrior-Captain.
In an instant, the scenery before Gazef changed, and he was no longer on that bloodsoaked plain. Instead, he was in the corner of what looked like a simple village hut.
He was surrounded by worried-looking villagers.
"This?"
"This is the space that Aurelius Sama has protected with magic."
"Ah, you're the village chief... Prince Aurelius does not seem to be here."
"No, he was here just a moment ago, but he suddenly disappeared as if he had switched places with the warrior commander."
"I see. So that voice in my head was..." Gazef trailed off, realizing that it was Aurelius who had orchestrated his escape.
With the weight of impending doom lifted from his shoulders, Gazef knew his role in the events to come was over. All he could do now was await Aurelius Nova Lucifer's next move.
'Thank God...' Gazef thought, exhaling a relieved sigh. After enduring so much, all he desired was to rest.
But as he let his guard down, his body, held together by sheer willpower, finally gave way, collapsing to the ground with a thud.
-Thud!
Concerned villagers rushed to his aid, witnessing the toll the battle had taken on him.
Meanwhile, on the other side, on the plains where the earlier battle took place, the light of the setting sun covered up the blood staining the grass, and the stench of blood was blown away by the wind.
There, three figures who had not originally been there materialized out of thin air.
Nigun of the Slaine Theocracy's special operations unit—the Sunlight Scripture—looked at the unidentified trio with perturbation in his eyes.
On the other hand, Gazef and his men, who were about to die, were nowhere in sight.
Nigun called the angels back, ordering them to form a defensive perimeter on their side. His assiduous gaze studied the trio's movements, when, accompanied by the knights on his left and right, the nobleman in the jet-black uniform took a step forward and said,
"Parasites of the Slaine Theocracy. My name is Aurelius Nova Lucifer. They say that I am the Dragon Demon God."
Despite the distance, the voice was carried by the wind and could be heard.
Since Nigun didn't say anything, Aurelius introduced the knights standing next to him.
"Here are Luminus on the left and Albedo on the right. I came here to have fun with you guys. You probably want to play with me too, don't you?"
Aurelius Nova Lucifer.
Dragon demon.
Nigun instinctively swallowed his saliva because these were the titles he'd heard somewhere.
Yes!
The Six Gods—deities revered by the Slaine Theocracy—had seemed to have spoken of such a figure.
According to the legends passed down by the Six Gods, their world once endured a cataclysm of unfathomable destruction.
Among the tales was the existence of a silvery-white dragon of unknown magnitude. At first glance, it might appear as a benevolent dragon radiating light similar to that of an angel.
However, one should not be deceived by the outside.
Within its angelic form lurked a duality—an amalgamation of both devilry and distortion.
Revered as the deity of demons and dragons, he was said to be the final god of dragons.
It was said that even if all of the six gods attacked him together, their annihilation could not be avoided.
Nigun couldn't believe that there was a person who far surpassed the Six Great Gods standing in front of him.
The name Aurelius Nova Lucifer was a taboo known only to the Slane Theocracy and the Platinum Dragon Lord.
Even Nigun himself possessed only scant knowledge, limited to the name and superficial rumors. Yet this enigmatic nobleman seemed privy to secrets known solely to the Slane Theocracy.
Nigun found himself drenched in a cold sweat, his body tensing with unease. But then he suddenly delivered a sharp slap to his own cheek, jolting himself back to reality.
'No, this cannot be. How could such a being be present here? It must be someone pretending to be the Dragon Demon God, the God of Calamity. Yes, that's it!'
As the realization dawned on him, Nigun's expression changed slightly. Noticing this, Aurelius opened his mouth.
"Hmm, it's the look in your eyes that says you know me. Then, why don't you kneel down and beg me to spare your pitiful life? You don't know; I might just be kind enough to grant you a merciful death."
Despite Aurelius's menacing grin, Nigun's face contorted in wrath at the audacity of the proposal.
He was absolutely not going to give up.
This was a decision he would desperately come to regret in the future.
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