The Principle of a Philosopher by Eternal Fool “Asley”

Chapter 408: One Against One

Roars and commands resounded amidst the endless clash of negative and positive energies — of evil and good.

The overwhelming army of Devils, summoned by Cleath, instilled uneasiness in the adventurers’ hearts, causing many of them to falter.

But then they sense two powerful auras of arcane energy burst forth behind them. The clash of energies served to rouse both the Devilkin and the adventurers. Tūs, feeling it on his skin, tried measuring their power levels.

[Man, Asley’s got a crazy amount of energy. He’s got way more than me… hell, almost as much as Lucifer, even. Great. But it feels like Lucifer is still pretty chill about this, though…]

Tūs cast spell after spell at the enemy, maintaining his side’s control over the battlefield. Cleath glared at him, and proceeded to order fifty or so nearby Devils,

“Don’t just rush in! Stay in formation! And don’t bother with Tūs and the Heavenly Beasts!”

“HAH! You don’t even know how to properly STRATEGIZE!?”

“Shut up, you! All I had to do was achieve my objective! Nothing more!”

“Objective? Hey, wait a second…”

In avoiding death before the battle, Cleath believed he had already achieved his objective. However, he ended up summoning lesser Devils and challenging Tūs’s side. 

Initially, Tūs believed that Gaspard and Cleath’s intention was to undermine the morale of the adventurers through a coordinated attack from both inside and outside.

[But then it would be more effective to bring Billy or Idïa along. There must be a special reason why Cleath is alone… Or am I just overthinking it? No, I can’t let my guard down against Gaspard. There’s got to be something… Something…!]

However, and despite being hailed as a Philosopher, Tūs had his limits as an Elf — he could not afford to engage in further contemplation in such a critical situation.

“Tarawo! Don’t get so carried away!”

“FWAHAHAHA! Tifa! My magical claws have certainly left a mark on those Devils!”

“Rise, A-rise, A-rise! All Up: Count 2 & Remote Control!”

Tifa provided Tarawo with support, trusting him to watch her back.

Tifa’s level was too low to put up a decent fight against the Devilkin. Tarawo, however, had used Level Breakthrough to level up to 150 — close to that of Team Silver’s Blazer. That made him more than powerful enough to take on the lesser Devils.

Tifa was not supposed to be at the frontlines originally, but the military force left in T’oued had turned out to be severely lacking. Being one of Asley’s students and possessing exceptional spellcasting skills, the adventurers had decided to rely on her.

After all, T’oued needed all the help it could get; all they needed were people who would not make things worse. Moreover, Tifa herself had wanted to be a part of this.

Cleath directed a sharp glare toward Tifa.

“That one…”

The next one Cleath laid his eyes on was a certain mage girl from Team Silver.

“Rise, A-rise! Magic Shield! Shiny, now!”

“Meeehhh~~!!”

It was Natsu… and her Sun Sheep Familiar, Shiny.

As a lively girl among the ranks of burly warriors, Natsu provided the every-busy Team Silver with much-needed peace of mind. Her charm was not her only strength, however — as all the techniques she had adopted were meant for the benefit of Team Silver. Despite her youth, she was not a spoiled child, and was naturally able to fulfill her role within the team, making her an indispensable and exceptional mage.

And just like Tifa, Natsu’s level was not particularly high.

The same was the case for another young one, Adolf, who could not do much more than hit-and-run.

He could have handled Alphas and Betas just fine, but he had not been prepared enough for a fight against actual Devils. So instead, right when the fighting started, Adolf had decided to emulate the style of a certain warrior: Egd, assistant Brigadier of the Royal Capital Warrior Guardians.

“ORA ORA ORA ORA!”

Egd, knowing his limits and role, took his bow off his back and drew prepared to shoot.

“Shockwave!”

Once he let the arrow loose, it caused a ripple of arcane energy that disrupted the minds of those in its way even if it did not hit. That was the effect of his original skill, Shockwave.

The sudden change in Cleath’s behavior, as well as the appearance of even more Devils, alerted Egd with a clear sense of malice, enmity, and murderous intent. He knew that he was in danger.

Having not used Limit Breakthrough, Egd’s options were quite limited, as he was not a mage who could just be assigned to a supporting role instead.

Among the few choices he had, the decision to use a bow was as close to the correct answer as Egd could come up with.

His ability to instantly assess his own strength and that of his enemies, and take action accordingly, showcased that he was in fact worthy of being among the Duodecad’s ranks. And as such, he became Adolf’s role model for the day.

Though his attacks were blocked by the enemies’ strong defenses, they still served as effective assistance to the stronger combatants. Adolf reevaluated his opinion on Egd, learning from him and imitating him as much as he could.

Even warriors whose levels couldn’t catch up should find ways to contribute — that was what Adolf had learned from Egd.

“And that… and that one…”

As Cleath looked at Natsu and Adolf, his eyes glimmered once again.

And then, the last one his gaze fell upon was…

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

“HAHAHA…! Impressive, Asley! This level of arcane energy is unlike anything history has seen. It is truly on par with the Devil King and God himself…”

“…Hah.”

“Oh-ho? Was that a sigh?”

“Well, you know, just thinking how you — the DEVIL KING — were pretty much the only one to praise me… made me a bit sad.”

“To possess such arcane energy and yet not be worshipped… Humans truly are foolish creatures.”

“Yeah, no, I’ll have to deny that.”

“Why?”

“Because I love everyone, that’s why.”

“Hehehe… Oh, I am SO glad to hear that.”

“What?”

The moment of questioning was short-lived as Lucifer swiftly closed in on Asley, interrupting his thoughts.

“Ngh–!”

Asley barely managed to defend against the attack with his Drynium Rod, his face twisting in agony.

“Ah, I see. Although you can withstand attacks, your body screams in pain…”

“T-That’s… my wisdom and guts doing their thing!”

Asley forcefully swung his Drynium Rod in an attempt to blow Lucifer away. 

However, the impact barely had an effect, as apparent from how Lucifer landed gracefully in the distance.

“Another try, then.”

“Guh–!”

And as soon as his feet touched the ground, he launched another attack at Asley. 

A powerful blow to the shoulder sent a dull, heavy ache coursing through Asley’s body.

“Minerva has taught you to use the Hide Spot, I see. That woman… she provided me with an incomplete technique. But now I understand — this is how you were able to withstand my attacks. At the same time, however, it is puzzling — A mere human, physically inferior as they are, should not be able to endure my attacks this well. Is there still something you are hiding? …Some other magitek I do not know?”

(I wouldn’t have been able to sustain such heavy attacks without the Magic Direction technique! I’ll have to thank Minerva and Warren again later…)

“REGARDLESS…!”

Lucifer attacked for the third time.

“Ngh–!”

“There!”

“Gwoh–!?”

“And another one!”

“GAH–!?”

After landing the first blow, Lucifer proceeded to attack Asley repeatedly, then ended the chain with an extremely powerful hit. The impact was overwhelming, and Asley was sent flying backward like an arrow.

Asley plunged his Drynium Rod into the ground in an attempt to slow down, but Lucifer did not stop his pursuit.

“Gah!”

Hit with a shockwave from above, Asley’s body slammed straight down into the ground.

The impact shook the entirety of Eddo and left a circular depression in the earth.

Lucifer, cracking a sinister smile, stepped on the back of Asley’s head.

“Are you out of your mind? Did you think you could defeat me with that level of power? That is why you are a fool.””

With his foot, Lucifer lifted Asley’s chin and then kicked him up, causing Asley to flip over and fall on his back. 

Lucifer, sweeping back his hair, proceeded to look down upon Asley.

“Weak. Where did your ‘wisdom and guts’ go, self-proclaimed Philosopher? Hehehe…”

Asley clenched his trembling hands around handfuls of soil.

“Sh-shut up……”

“Hmph, resorting to bluffing now, are you?”

“…R-rise! High Cure Adjust!”

Quickly drawing up a Spell Circle, Asley invoked a recovery spell.

“…Surely you are aware that this is no time to hold back. While my mercy lasts, show me everything you have… then I will crush them all to pieces.”

“Heh… hehe… you really are a Devil King, huh?”

“You dare to laugh in front of me… Perhaps you are not only a fool, but also a jester. How amusing.”

“Let’s see if you can keep laughing after you get a load of THIS…!”

“I have already told you: show me everything you have.”

Facing the nonchalant Lucifer, Asley’s fingers moved quietly yet swiftly.

He formed an intricate magic formula…

“Oh-ho, a powerful lightning spell… But you intend to unleash it on me? It will have no effect.”

“Oh, I won’t… because THIS is how it’s used!”

…And then he invoked the spell.

“…Rise, A-rise, A-rise! Vestment: Thor’s Hammer…!”

That instant, T’oued was wrapped in a brilliant flash of light.