Mission: 044 - A Multitude of Demons

"Enemy signatures in the hundreds... no, thousands!" Mash's scream came from Chaldea. In a panic, she shouted, "Senpai, run!"

With numbers like that, naturally, the enemies could not all be large animals like the one just now. Nero took a closer look, and sure enough, the main force of the Demonic Tide surging out from Forest Depths was the same endless Rat Swarm as yesterday.

This area they were in was probably their nest.

"We found the source of the problem."

Nero gave up on pursuing that Demonic Vulture any further as well. In a flash, she returned to Ritsuka's side and said, "Get ready to break through."

"Mm!"

Compared to Mash, who was in Chaldea and could only worry helplessly, Ritsuka seemed much calmer at that moment. "Demon Darling, stay alert."

Mephisto, who had dealt with the Demonic Wolf, quickly returned as well and slipped the rapier in his hand back into the cane.

"Understood." It smiled.

There was a demon at her side, and demons were the enemy. For Nero, it was hard not to have some misgivings about Mephisto in her heart, even if Giorgios, as a saint, had already vouched for it somewhat.

She had no idea how Ritsuka could bring herself to trust such a mysterious fellow.

The demonized animals encircled them from all directions, and very soon collided head-on with Nero, who was serving as the vanguard as they returned along the path. Because they had to protect Ritsuka and Beatrice as they passed through the Demonic Tide, Gilgamesh could only fight in close quarters and could not open a path. Echidna, meanwhile, was prone to friendly fire and could not fully unleash herself. Nero was left with only one option.

Nero's hand reached toward her chest, and in the next instant, Yamato was unsheathed. Her long hair lost its color, and with dense magical energy coiling around her body, Nero gripped Yamato and swung straight ahead.

"From the depths of the earth a palace rises, and demons gather in throngs, marveling in admiration!"

The improvised Anthem left her lips, and the blade light Nero slashed out condensed into form, turning into a dark-blue Light Blade that plowed across the earth. The two-meter-tall Light Blade tore through the ground, tore through the forest, and ripped open a gap in the pitch-black Demonic Tide.

"Hurry, keep up!"

Ritsuka grabbed the stunned Beatrice and broke into a run. The little girl, who had thought she was about to lose her life, looked at the mythic scene before her, as though Moses had parted the sea, and her mind simply stopped working.

Nero, holding Yamato, charged in before the tide could close again. She stabbed Yamato into the ground and sang out once more, "The haughty Cherubim draw their swords, and tens of thousands of blades light hell bright!"

Amid her Singing Voice, a Sword Forest radiating Eerie Light rose from the ground. The Demonic Monsters that were pierced through turned into walls, completely separating the tide.

With that, the road was opened. Without needing Nero to call out, Ritsuka led Beatrice by the hand and quickly passed through the Sword Forest under Mephisto's protection. But ahead of them, the black tide converged once again, about to bare its fangs and turn into a man-eating Giant Wave.

"The winged heralds sound their horns, and a mighty army gathers in hell!"

In that instant, Nero drew her sword and rose. Yamato dragged a streak of light through the air, leaving a blue crescent arc in the gloomy forest. She caught up to Ritsuka in a flash and arrived in front of them. The blade in her hand swept horizontally, cutting the foremost few Demonic Monsters in two with a single slash, blood spilling through the air like a red fan.

It was time to end this. With one final blow, Nero would completely part the tide before them and escape this place.

She stepped forward, and her slender ankle seemed to make the entire forest tremble. Yamato slashed down again in her hand, countless points of light gathering upon it to form a bright blade nearly ten meters long.

"These rebellious rioters had long since fallen from the heavens, like countless shooting stars descending with the setting sun."

The illusory blade formed from magical energy cut through the forest, and the trees before them toppled in swathes. The Demonic Monsters in front of them were also split in two by this attack, blood soaking into the damp earth.

But it was still not enough. This blow had killed over a hundred Demonic Monsters before her, but Nero still needed to hold back the pursuers behind them.

So after swinging that sword, Nero did not withdraw her strength. Instead, she used the momentum to slash upward. The giant blade formed from magical energy rose imposingly between the trees like a High Tower, then collapsed into over a hundred flying swords that covered the space behind them.

"Go!"

Nero's Demon Transformation ended, and she deliberately fell to the rear of the group. After Ritsuka and Beatrice had completely escaped the mob of Demonic Monsters, she lifted a nonexistent Skirt Hem toward the coast and performed a curtsy.

After slaying so many demonized creatures, she had vaguely sensed the presence of that "Seaside Stone Cave of Demonic Whispers." Without a doubt, the Demon Pillar that had created this Singularity was there. Once they regrouped their combat strength, and with Beatrice—this weak point they needed to protect—gone, they could attack the stone cave...

Perhaps then Nero would understand what Sphinx's riddle was referring to.

"Sun Suffers the Devouring of Hatred, and the Arrogant Monarch will soon break free of its shell." If those words truly matched Sherlock and Da Vinci's interpretation, then perhaps something terrifying was being nurtured there.

They needed to end this quickly. This curtsy was Nero's declaration before battle.

At that moment, the sun was still some distance from the sea level, but a Red Light had already risen over the sea. After briefly performing her salute, Nero swiftly straightened and left under the cover of the Sword Rain, chasing after Ritsuka and the others.

The forest, thrown into utter chaos, remained noisy for a while longer before becoming quiet again.

The sun set, and the moon rose. It was not until nearly midnight that Nero finally protected Ritsuka and Beatrice back to the small town.

However, after leaving the forest, no more enemies appeared. The greatest danger they faced was the road, indistinct in the darkness.

At this hour, the lord's manor gates were already closed, but as the lord's Young Lady, Beatrice naturally could not be kept outside in the middle of the night. After getting through the gate by showing her face, the party saw Giorgios, who had been waiting for a long time, by the stone table in the garden.

"We're back," Ritsuka said. She kept her voice low so as not to wake the people already asleep inside the manor.

"As long as you're all right."

"We found the Demon Pillar's location," Nero added after Giorgios finished speaking. Then she stroked Beatrice's head—this little girl had run around and stayed up late today, and she was thoroughly exhausted. She was already swaying on her feet.

"You should hurry and rest too," Nero said softly to her. "If your father discovers anything, remember to come find us. We'll help you explain."

"Mm..." Beatrice rubbed her eyes and staggered into the house.

Only then did Giorgios speak again. "You found it?"

"We found it," Ritsuka answered. "In a cave by the sea, but we have to pass through the forest... there are a lot of demonized animals there. We couldn't succeed."

They might have to look for new helpers. After all, no matter how one thought about it, the Heroic Spirits who had come to this Singularity could not possibly number only three.