vrcanaries Chapter 587 - 587
Chapter 587 - 587
"Huh? Kazuma, when did you learn such advanced terms?""They show up in anime all the time!"
"Right!"
Aqua suddenly understood, then proudly patted her chest.
"It blocks everything! That means nothing can get near me! It even defends against causality manipulation and conceptual interference!"
In the divine realm, powers that interfere with causality and concepts aren't uncommon. Such divine artifacts or abilities usually belong to high-ranking deities and wouldn't appear in a reincarnated individual's hands.
Aqua didn't possess such powers herself, but her feathered robe allowed her to resist all such forces.
Of course, it only resisted interference directed at herself—it didn't nullify the opponent's power. This distinction was crucial.
"Would it work if I wore it?"
"It'd only have partial effect."
Aqua suddenly curled up defensively, eyeing him suspiciously.
"You're not actually plotting to steal my precious feathered robe, are you?!"
"I already said no! What would a Level 8 adventurer like me even do with it?!"
"...Fair point."
After some thought, Aqua nodded in agreement.
Weak little Kazuma probably wouldn't even encounter such powers in the first place.
How pitiful.
"Alright!"
Kazuma Satou pumped his fist, inexplicably fired up.
"Aqua, let's go to the Demon King's Castle outside town tomorrow!"
"What?!"
Aqua immediately paled, spitting out her tea in shock.
"Kazuma! Don't tell me you want to see that new Demon King again and ask him to take you as his subordinate?!"
"Do you have a problem with me... Never mind, I've already given up."
Kazuma wiped the tea off his chest in disgust, then smiled serenely.
"To be honest, the Demon King already rejected me outright. He has zero interest in a useless adventurer like me, so I want to go wreck his castle instead!"
"Too dangerous. Pass."
Aqua finally relaxed, lazily flopping back onto the sofa.
"Don't you want to return to the Celestial Realm?"
Kazuma had anticipated her reluctance and gave her an exasperated pep talk. "Defeating the Demon King is how you get back, right? That's what the substitute angel said when I brought you along!"
Due to a series of infuriating actions during reincarnation, Kazuma had ended up dragging Aqua down as his "cheat ability," which was why he turned out so pathetically weak.
Aqua could only return to the Celestial Realm once they defeated the Demon King—that's what the angel covering her shift had told them.
"Too dangerous. No."
"Twenty percent debt reduction."
"Deal!"
Aqua answered instantly, then smirked slyly.
"You're only ever this sharp when it comes to stuff like this!"
Furious, Kazuma bonked her on the head.
That night, he sneaked out of the house and didn't return until nearly dawn.
The next morning.
Among the adventurers scouting the mini Demon King's Castle, Kazuma's party of four now stood.
"Doesn't it feel like there are way fewer Demon Lord Army soldiers patrolling today?"
One adventurer observed the distant troop movements and voiced his confusion.
"Who cares?!"
A more reckless adventurer shouted excitedly.
"Everyone, this is a great opportunity! Since we just have to avoid killing demons, what are we waiting for? Charge!"
The group's eyes lit up, and they raised their weapons, rushing toward the Mini Demon King's Castle.
The adventurers were as excited as bulls in a fight, charging relentlessly toward the castle gates. The dozens-strong team instantly scattered the patrolling soldiers outside, and a flood of adventurers poured into the castle.
"We actually made it inside?"
Darkness looked incredulous.
"I heard usually only about 20-30% of adventurers can pass the first checkpoint, but today, it seems like half of them got in!"
But then she grew excited again, her face flushed with anticipation, muttering incomprehensible things like "Demon Lord Army executives" and "torment."
"Kazuma, you're not really going to kneel the moment you see the Demon King, are you?"
Megumin still looked uneasy. "Maybe we should just fire one shot and leave?"
"Stop! If you fire that, everyone will know it was us!"
Kazuma Satou panicked and quickly stopped her dangerous idea.
"If we accidentally kill a few demons, how are we supposed to deal with the Demon King's army?"
The reason low-level adventurers could leave alive was because they followed the rule of not killing Demon Lord Army soldiers. If they used Explosion Magic, the entire Mini Demon King's Castle would swarm with soldiers ready to tear them apart!
As they spoke, the group had already reached the second checkpoint.
"By the Demon King's decree, not a single person shall pass!"
Dozens of elite Demon Lord Army soldiers, having heard the commotion outside, had already formed ranks in the open space.
Each of these elites was on par with the kingdom's knights, with individual levels exceeding 30. The adventurers immediately felt the pressure, and since they couldn't go all out, their advance was abruptly halted.
But by then, Kazuma and his three companions were nowhere to be seen.
Inside the Mini Demon King's Castle, the central hall.
The four of them suddenly appeared here, with not a single demon in sight.
"Impressive, Kazuma! Using Stealth to skip straight to the third floor!"
Darkness looked at him admiringly. "Sometimes I wish you'd use that cleverness for good!"
"Whoa! Are we actually going to meet the Demon King?"
Megumin excitedly waved her staff.
"I heard no one's ever made it past the fifth floor since the challenge began! Even the kingdom's top three adventurers were crushed on the fourth floor. If we get to see the Demon King, we'll be famous!"
By now, the Mini Demon King's Castle challenge had become a worldwide sensation. Achieving an impressive result would instantly make them renowned throughout the Belzerg Kingdom!
But the best record so far was set by the kingdom's top-ranked adventurer, who led his team through the first three floors with unstoppable momentum—only to be defeated by the old Demon King's daughter on the fourth floor.
"Weren't there Crimson Demons who took on the challenge?"
"This terrain is too disadvantageous for Crimson Demons. Even in teams, none of them made it past the fourth floor."
Megumin explained.
The Crimson Demons were all mages, making their party composition severely unbalanced. While they excelled as artillery, they struggled to unleash their full power inside the castle.
But she showed no regret—instead, her fighting spirit burned brighter.
"We'll make up for that regret ourselves!"
"An admirable ambition! But alas, you shall go no further!"
Before long, the Headless Knight, exuding an intense aura of malevolence, appeared in the grand hall and cast a cold sneer at the group.
"A Demon Lord Army executive!"
Darkness raised her sword with grave determination.
"An Undead!"
Aqua shot a look of disgust.
The battle was about to begin!