The Lion King's Demise

The fight between Hijikata Tos.h.i.+zou, vice-captain of the s.h.i.+nsengumi, and Lion King Sabnac was a marvel.

They both had different weapons and skills.

Tos.h.i.+zou had an Izuminokami Kanesada.

The best j.a.panese sword.

Swords made by craftsmen from the Kamakura era that were used in Minonokuni were the most famous, but Hijikata's sword was made in the Bak.u.matsu era in Aizu.

Of course, it was not as valuable as something from the Kamakura era, but its sharpness was in no way inferior.

If anything, swords from the Bak.u.matsu era have probably cut many more people than swords from the Kamakura era.

In any case, this man called Hijikata Tos.h.i.+zou, had killed many with this blade.

Outlaw ronins ran rampant during that era and as Sacchou's dogs, would later be called the army of the new government. And it was this sword that had killed many of them.

But Demon King's Sabnac's great sword was a fine match for it.

This great sword was crafted by a sword maker who lived in a mountain tribe in the farthest reaches of Glorieus.

It was said that the blood of sinners was used to strengthen the steel, and it was enchanted with powerful magic, making it much lighter than most greatswords. And yet the fact that it dealt the full force of a heavy greatsword, marked it as an advanced cheat item.

In terms of weaponry, it was hard to say that it was not a draw.

The only thing left was their skill as warriors, but this too was nearly equal.

Hijikata Tos.h.i.+zou and Sabnac's swords clashed.

Sparks flew into the air and the loud clangs echoed.

It was the kind of fearsome sight that resembled a religious painting.

There was something mystical and dream-like in the battle that played out between this foreign samurai and this native Demon King.

They were so closely matched in power, and they never allowed the other to press in.

It was almost an honor to be able to watch them.

That was my honest feeling, but this moment would not last forever.

They had appeared to be evenly matched, but there was really a slight difference.

It was so small, that no one could have noticed it at first. But when it came to battles between masters, that small gap tended to slowly widen.

Hijikata Tos.h.i.+zou was gaining the upper hand.

Demon King Sabnac was being pushed back towards the wall.

"GGGRAWWGHH!"

The Lion roared. With a slash, Tos.h.i.+zou had cut his arm open.

It was the first time blood had been drawn since this duel began.

Nothing could be more humiliating for the Lion King.

He had not taken any damage at all since this battle began.

No, he had not taken damage in years.

It would not have been so bad if he were up against a fellow Demon King, but a mere Hero? And some tiny man. It was nothing short of disgraceful.

That shame turned to rage, and then darkness.

Dueling was about your pride as a warrior. That is what Sabnac had thought.

It was a battle of swords against swords, and nothing else should enter into it.

He believed that once, but he could no longer stick this rule.

He was about to lose the trust of his subordinates. They would kill him even if he survived this.

In order to avoid that, he must not only kill this easterner but also Demon King Ashtaroth.

And so Sabnac pulled out a crystal ball from his pocket.

This crystal ball had magic sealed within. The one he used earlier had farsight, simple magic. But this one was different.

This one had a Majin sealed inside.

A fire monster known as Ifrit.

If he unleashed it, this little fighter would turn into dust with one shot.

And so Sabnac threw the crystal ball to the ground without a second thought.

It shattered at Tos.h.i.+zou's feet. The temperature in the area shot up suddenly.

A magic circle of fire appeared at their feet, and the monster, with its burning body, began to materialize.

The monster grabbed Tos.h.i.+zou's body and attempted to burn him.

Tos.h.i.+zhou groaned but did not scream.

He was courageous and his pride was too strong.

Even when his opponent had resorted to cowardly tricks, he did not curse him or ask me for help.

But he would probably die if things continued like this.

And I wasn't going to allow that to happen.

His life was too valuable to me to let the cat king snuff him out.

It wasn't the demon who had to die today, it was the cat.

And so I summoned a water spirit to resist the Ifrit.

It was an Undine.

A woman with beautiful skin flowed out of the bottle I was holding and attacked the Ifrit.

Her flowing hair turned into a river and put out the Ifrit's flames.

The Ifrit would normally be higher in rank, but there was a difference in being summoned through a crystal ball and being summoned by a Demon King directly, that made up for it.

And it didn't take long for the Ifrit to be sent back to the spirit world.

And so Tos.h.i.+zou escaped death for the moment, but the battle was hardly over.

Sabnac was not about to back down, and he swung his greatsword down over the weakened man.

I used 'Teleportation' to move between them, and blocked Sabnac's greatsword with a fist full of magic.

Clang!

The sound echoed.

Sabnac looked surprised. He would never have dreamed that I would be able to block him with my hand.

"Ho-how can you block my sword with your hand?!"

“I've been watching the way you swing. There is a great force behind it, but you move in the exact same way every time. I was sure that I could easily pull off a trick like this with magic.”

"b.a.s.t.a.r.d! You third-rate magician!!"

"Third-rate. Well, you aren't wrong. Now, King Cat, what does that make you? Now that you are about to be exterminated by a third-rate magician? Fourth-rate? Fifth-rate?"

"Exterminate me? Fool. My body is stronger than steel."

"Steel can be melted down and torn apart. You summoned an Ifrit with your crystal ball, but my magic is stronger than your Ifrit."

"Lies!"

"I guess you can just experience it for yourself then."

I begin to chant.

"Embers of the stars that sleep under the earth! Awaken from your ancient slumber!

Burn the flames of judgment!

Burn the flames of hatred!"

And I unleashed 'h.e.l.l Fire.'

It was really just an intermediate level of magic, but it could be much more powerful depending on who used it. With enough power, it could match the force of magma from a volcano.

The strong feline king with his body of steel would still find himself quite melted.

And indeed, Demon King Sabnac let out a scream when the spell slammed into him.

He howled.

"GGGWAAAGHHHH!!!!"

The death cry of the lion.

Sabnac ran as a ball of fire for a few seconds, but he had no way to erase the flames, and he eventually stopped moving.

The flames of h.e.l.l continued to burn mercilessly even after.

It took thirty minutes for the flames covering Sabnac's huge body to finally dwindle.

He was now a chunk of ash, his lion head and body of steel were nowhere to be seen.

In other words, I had defeated Demon King Sabnac.

And so I won my first victory against a Demon King.

It was Hijikata Tos.h.i.+zou who first put this into words.

He had fought until the end, even with his burns, and had to be treated by the werewolves. But when that was finished, he used his sword as a staff and came up to me.

"I am not sure what kind of king interrupts a duel, but the fault was mine. You saved me. Thank you."

"You would have won if he hadn't gone the cowardly route."

"I am not sure of that. I feel like I did have the upper hand in swordsmans.h.i.+p, but he had inexhaustible strength and a body that could endure much."

"You are being modest."

"Perhaps we have that in common. I was surprised to see such monstrous power in you. I doubt that I even needed to come and fight him?"

"I wouldn't say that. Besides, I would prefer it if my men could fight for me."

"But, we are a small army. We will likely have to rely on your strength for a while."

"Indeed. I pray that the day I can leave everything to my subordinates comes soon. I would much rather hole up in my castle and devise my dark plans there."

"You want to be a tactician."

"No, I'm just being realistic."

I say, and offer Tos.h.i.+zou my hand.

It was to commend him on an admirable battle, but his world did not have a custom of shaking hands.

But he understood the meaning behind it and accepted it.

His rough hand was strong.

Strong friends.h.i.+ps were often born from strong handshakes.

Though, I was not sure a friends.h.i.+p would really grow between us.

But there was one thing I did know.

The wine we drank together after that tasted very good.

Drinking wine with a man that you could turn your back to on the battlefield. And eating good food too. It felt like the biggest luxury this world had to offer.

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