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Chapter 101. Demons Are Fascinating

"Take this!"

"Mm..."

As expected, demonic magic is fundamentally different from human magic. Human magic involves absorbing magical elements from the atmosphere into the body, converting it into magical power internally, and then channeling that power in a predetermined form to produce an effect. If you try to release magic spontaneously or in an improper form on the battlefield, not only will nothing happen, but the magic might explode and blow up both the caster and everything around them.

On the other hand, demon magic... seems much more free-form. There doesn’t appear to be any set shape, and that demon who called herself Vanessa, when she used fire magic, varied its speed, temperature, and size. It’s completely different from the rigid magic of humans. The likely cause is... demons’ bodies are made of magical elements.

"Would you just hit already!"

"Nah... it's impossible."

I was able to analyze this much because Vanessa isn't particularly strong. Her magic is different from humans, so I was a bit surprised at first, but in the end, nothing was surprising beyond that. I've fought against the Minister of Interior, and squad leaders... I mostly only fight monsters, so my sense of danger might be a bit off.

When it comes to demons in the literature, they’re all described as having monstrous strength, so I had this image that demons must be strong. But it's no wonder that only strong demons are written about — weak ones wouldn’t survive to be remembered.

"You insolent human!"

"I wouldn’t say I'm insolent — more like, you're just weak. How have you survived this long?"

"I'll kill you!"

No, you won't. Vanessa is flying around, constantly shooting magic at me, but every time she fires, she unknowingly drops to a lower altitude. Maybe she's trying to get closer because she thinks she might miss otherwise... but at that distance, I could reach her just by jumping. I'm getting tired of observing demon magic, so let's end this quickly.

As her black flame crashed into the ground and exploded, I used the cover of the blast to leap.

"Vanished!?"

"I didn’t vanish."

I jumped above Vanessa as she lowered her altitude to cast a spell, and grabbed her head. I thought she'd fall from this, but apparently, she’s not flying with wings. Even with my weight on her, she kept flying.

"This isn’t enough to make me fall—"

"Well, then..."

I had no intention of holding back against a demon. If I can’t bring her down while she's intact, there's no other choice. I used [Yaldabaoth] to slice her right wing at the base, stomped on her back, and then leaped again, driving it through her left shoulder and into where a human’s lungs would be.

"Argh!"

Still not falling? I pulled out Verethragna and drove it into her abdomen, grabbed her neck, and unleashed a fire spell. Surely this should be enough to bring her down... but she’s probably not dead yet.

Since I needed to manually retrieve Verethragna, I pulled it out before Vanessa crashed. As for [Yaldabaoth]... it’s too much trouble to remove, so I'll just leave it there. She plummeted from quite a height... but I didn’t want to break my bones from the fall, so I used magic to release energy and reduce the impact, rolling as I landed.

"Still alive?"

"Y-You... filthy human..."

"You're alive. Good. I have a few questions for you, if that’s alright."

Like I’d give her a choice. I pulled out [Yaldabaoth], tied her limbs down, and sat next to her. Even though her outfit made her look like a scantily-clad temptress, the gaping wounds in her stomach and chest kind of ruined the effect.

"So, can you heal your wounds?"

"...Kill you."

"Still got some spirit, huh."

Is that the only response she has? I was a bit exasperated, but when I glanced at her abdominal wound, I noticed it was slowly regenerating. This isn’t healing magic...

"...Are you absorbing magical elements from the atmosphere and converting them into your body? I’ve heard that demons’ bodies are entirely composed of magical elements, but I didn’t know you could do something so convenient."

When I pierced her chest and abdomen earlier, she barely bled compared to a human. Maybe demons don’t need blood, and what I thought was blood might be something entirely different.

Human blood carries nutrients and oxygen throughout the body... maybe demons absorb magical elements through their breath?

"Do you... want to dissect a demon?"

"You’re healing up fast."

"Of course! You went out of your way to pierce me in a way that’s easy to fix."

Why is she so hostile?

"You’re immune to charm spells, possess monstrous strength, act completely unhinged, and casually stab an innocent, alluring woman like me... you must be insane."

"Innocent and alluring, huh?"

"Of course! I’ve used this beauty to enchant countless men."

"That's a lie. You're terrible at charm spells."

I observed Vanessa’s magic carefully during our fight. Compared to her offensive spells, her charm magic was baby-level.

"...Not my fault! I never get a chance to use charm magic! Demons are a defeated race, ever since we lost the war to humans hundreds of years ago. We’ve been hiding in the depths of the mountains, barely surviving!"

"Then why did you come to the capital?"

"Th-That’s... well, youthful rebellion, maybe?"

I had a feeling, but... this Vanessa, she's still young, isn’t she?

"How old are you?"

"O-Of course, I'm a grand demon who’s lived for over a thousand years!"

"Right... I’m guessing fifty years, tops."

"Wh-How did you know..."

Just an estimate based on her level of magic. Magic, whether human or demon, gets sharper the more you use it. Vanessa’s magic, while powerful, is rough, unrefined, and sloppy. I thought maybe it was just a trait of demon magic, but... mature demons probably have better control.

"Sigh... such a child... I won’t get any useful answers at this rate."

"How dare you! I may be young, but I’m already an adult! Ask me anything!"

She reminds me of a sixth-grade girl insisting she’s grown up because she hit puberty before the boys. But looking back, both were still just kids.

"Alright, do you know the origins and manifestation process of Grimoires?"

"Grimoires are evil tools created to kill demons."

"What?"

Is she out of her mind?

"That’s what I was taught!"

"You really are a child... How about 'The End Dragon'?"

"Gah..."

"Hmm?"

Now that’s an interesting reaction. Seems like she knows something.