Translated by AmaLynne
by AmaLynne
“Come on, play with me, human!”
Phoenix (young girl) pointed her finger at me and declared so.
She has a very young but well-rounded face. But right now, Phoenix’s green emerald eyes were filled with a strong sense of hostility.
“I’ll burn you to a crisp with my flames! Prepare yourself!”
A pillar of fire rose from Phoenix’s hand.
“Whoa?! What kind of firepower is that?”
The flames created a powerful, sizzling hot wind.
If it hit me, my body would really turn to charcoal in an instant.
I lowered my posture and took a fighting stance.
I strengthen my body with mana so that I can go on the offensive at any time.
“HAHAHA, go away, human!”
The phoenix transforms the pillar of fire into a fireball and swings it over as if it were a pitch.
But,
“Stop it, Phoenix! You’re going to burn down this forest!”
“Hiuu! De-Demiurge-sama…?”
Phoenix’s body trembled and the fireball disappeared from her hand.
“Phoenix, this forest is a sanctuary to protect the World Tree. You’re going to burn down the entire world tree?”
“N-No, I’m not! I’m just trying to get rid of this scumbag… Err, you know~…”
The reprimanded Phoenix is really cringing like a child, crossing her hands, poking her fingers, and even swimming her gaze, scared.
She is a girl who is being scolded by her parents.
“It’s Phoenix.”
“Y-Yes!”
When Demiurge called her name, Phoenix stood upright and replied vigorously.
However, it seems that Demiurge’s voice is so chilling that you can’t feel the temperature…
“Who the hell do you think you are… that in addition to setting fire to the forest… you would speak out against my husband as『 scum 』?”
“Hee!”
A voice filled with absolute zero rage is emitted from Demiurge to Phoenix.
Uwaa… that was scary ……
When I fought Demiurge, she gave me a cold rage like that.
The raging Demiurge afterward was also quite powerful.
However, I still feel as if my heart is going to shrink when I see such quiet anger.
“De-Demiurge-sama?”
“Phoenix, even if you are a demon of my creation… or even a member of my household, that is no reason to be disrespectful to my husband… and you should immediately take back the word『 scum 』you used earlier.”
“B-But, Demiurge-sama! Humans are a selfish, inferior species! They’re the ones who are destroying the world, and they’re too stupid to realize it! That man doesn’t even deserve to live!”
“Will you not shut up!”
“Hiii?!”
The phoenix was completely shrunk by the Demiurge as it unleashed a ripping blast.
“It’s true, humans are selfish. They don’t even realize that the world is in danger. Yes, indeed, they are fools, as you say. That’s why I once tried to eradicate humans.”
Ugh… hurts my ears as a fellow human…
I turned my face away, sweating at Demiurge’s words.
“You’re right, he’s human… but he’s a straightforward man with unbending beliefs. And he promised to support the World Tree with me when I was helpless. How could I allow such a disgrace to my beloved man?”
“…De-Demiurge-sama… why would you go to such lengths… for a human man?”
Phoenix’s expression is confused.
But with the puzzled Phoenix at my side, I became aware of my face becoming very hot.
No, no, no, no. Anyone would be embarrassed if he expressed his trust in me that straightforwardly.
Oh, crap! Not only my face, but also my body is getting hot!
“Uuu~ I’m not convinced at all! In the first place, isn’t it that human’s fault that Demiurge-sama became weak in the first place!”
Ugu… (*gulp*)
“And even though Demiurge-sama has shown so much love, he still hasn’t decided on his attitude! It is the worst to be an indecisive man!”
Buhoo…… (*gulp, gulp*)
Ugh… I know. I knew that, but… You don’t have to be so blunt about it… *sobs*.
“I doubt this man can really protect Demiurge-sama and the World Tree! To be honest, he doesn’t look very strong at all!”
Whoo-hoo!
“Muu… Even after all I’ve said, you still refuse to accept… Can’t be helped. Husband, can’t you give me a little help?”
“Eh?”
“I know that she is defying me because she’s thinking of me, so I can’t be any harder on her than I already am. So, I have no choice but to ask husband to show her his power and convince her otherwise.”
Ah, I knew that’s how it would turn out in the end.
Well, sooner or later, Phoenix and I would have had to fight.
Because she’s sending me all the hostility and murderous intent she can muster.
I somehow knew that words alone would not solve the problem.
“But first, let me tell you something, Phoenix, this person is mu・ch・st・rong・er than you.”
“―――!!”
Immediately, Phoenix’s anger and murderous intent toward me swelled up.
I’m sure you’ve lost your temper, having been told by your beloved Lord that you are weaker than the people you hate.
“Aha… ahahaha… I, I am, weaker than a human being… No matter how much my strength has declined since my prime, I was still proud to be one of the strongest in this world… Fufu, fufufufu.”
The phoenix glared at me, shaking its body like a wavering devil.
The light disappeared from his eyes, and his whole body began to emit a black aura.
“Let’s change places, human. The forest will burn here, and Demiurge-sama will be angry, so let’s go outside… There, I’ll burn every last speck of dust.”
So I went out to the grassland outside the forest and confronted the Phoenix.
On the way, Demiurge was constantly saying “I’m sorry”.
◆◇◆◇◆
“With this much distance, I can wield my power to my heart’s content. So let’s get started…!”
I walked a good distance from the forest, taking care not to cause any damage.
At this distance, there should be no damage to the forest by any chance.
At a distance, Demiurge was standing like a watcher.
We faced each other at a distance of about 50 meters, and the battle finally began.
“Now! Let’s start with a little test!”
Right after the start, Phoenix created an oversized fireball in her hand and threw it at me.
The fireball was so huge that it could swallow a grown man completely.
It was also very fast!
But I dodged the blow with ease.
As I walked past, an intense heatwave scorched my hair.
The fireball that failed to catch me exploded in the grassland, scorching the ground to black.
“That’s right, you gave Demiurge-sama a scratch, so I’m sure you’ll take this lightly. How about this then!”
“Whoa?!”
This time, she twisted the flame sharply, and countless flame spears appeared in the air.
“Go!【 Volcanic Lance 】!”
At the same time as Phoenix’s voice, the flaming lances shot out at high speed.
The speed at which they were approaching was nothing compared to the fireballs from earlier.
I click my tongue and stick my arms out in front of my face.
“Water spirits, protect me…【 Aqua Shield 】!”
A shield made of water appeared in front of me, blocking the oncoming spear.
However, the collision of flame and water created steam.
The collision of flame and water created a vapor that blinded both of us.
They took each other’s vision.
“Hee, you’re good. It’s not easy for a human being to block my spear, which no ordinary magic can penetrate… No-, wuaa!”
I break through the vapor and approach Phoenix, who seems to be taking it easy.
Phoenix’s eyes widen, and I deliver a mana-enhanced palm strike.
However, Phoenix twists her body to avoid my attack.
She leaps backward with the same momentum.
“Your small size makes it hard to hit.”
“For someone who says so, you were trying to hit my vital points with precision!”
“That’s because there’s no way I can go easy on the strongest opponent!”
“Hmph, you’re too arrogant for a human!”
Both of us struck out on our first attempts.
Now, how should we go about our next move…?