99 The Friendly Demon King

***** Rudeus' POV *****

I pointed my index finger unlocking the magic barrier blocking access to my room at the research facility and pushed it open with gravity magic. I had my hands full holding three steaming cups of tea.

"Wow, you've really made a lot of progress on the innermost layer of magic circles", I complimented Cliff as I handed him his cup and peered over his shoulder.

"It's all thanks to your suggestion, honestly. Ever since I switched to the Alistair method, everything really started to come together."

Cliff was working on the center chest-plate, which was the most critical and complex piece of the entire suit of armor.

"Oh? This one's new. You've got it interwoven with the layer above..."

"Yes. It's designed to repair the most critical magic circles for basic operation of the armor. That way you'll still be able to move around even if the suit is half torn apart."

"That's brilliant! Just be careful not to interfere with the summoning circle over there on the side..."

"I know, I know! How many times do you have to tell me that? I'm not going to mess with it."

"Geez, my bad. Didn't mean to rile you up."

"Eh, no. Sorry about that. I couldn't sleep well with that bumbling idiot snoring all night."

Cliff motioned over to Zanoba who was sprawled out on my couch, drooling on the cushions.

"Haha... yeah, same here. That's why I went out to get the tea. I'll just set Zanoba's on the table for now."

It was nearly noon but the two of us had just woken up. We had a small breakthrough and excitedly stayed up late working on the magic armor the night before.

It's been about two years since I completed my mission in Bristol and I'm nearing the end of my third year enrolled at Ranoa's Magic Academy. Cliff, Zanoba, and I have made remarkable progress on the magic armor, which we've named 'The Magic Armor Mk 1'.

The armor stands about two meters tall and is thin and sleek compared to the incredibly bulky design we started with. Despite its relatively small size, the full set of armor weighs multiple tons. Even Zanoba with his insane strength is unable to lift the larger pieces. The only reason I'm able to wear them is the magic circles embedded in each piece which reduces the weight at the cost of a constant supply of mana.

One of the biggest improvements to the armor is its ability to mimic battle aura. The suit surrounds itself with a dense, thin coat of mana that it drains from the wearer. When the ability is activated it is set to mimic the battle aura of a Saint-Tier swordsman, but that can be increased or decreased based on the amount of mana you supply.

Mimicking a warrior's battle aura is already a genius feat by its own right, but it was at the cost of being overwhelmingly mana inefficient. Much of the mana dissipates into the atmosphere meaning the suit uses about one hundred times more mana than a person using true battle aura to get the same result. This means the ability is currently useless for anyone but me.

Another improvement to the armor was the ability to summon it. This was the magic circle I was nagging Cliff about. That magic circle is tied to a reference magic circle I have woven on the inside of my robe. When I supply it with mana, it will summon the armor around me so that I can use it in a pinch.

I've already cautiously tested this to work, but any mistakes could lead to serious problems for me if the armor is not summoned around me properly. That's why I'm always reminding Cliff and Zanoba not to mess with the summoning circles in the slightest.

We also modified some magic implements we bought at the marketplace to allow them to rapid fire in quick succession. We effectively mounted a Gatling gun on the right wrist with a flamethrower attachment on the bottom side.

Now, as to why I was sleeping in my research room? That would be Linia's fault, of course. It was mating season for the beastfolk and Linia and Pursena were staying holed up in their room. Linia, the brat, thought it would be a good idea to spread rumors that anyone who wanted to challenge them to a matrimonial duel had to beat me first.

At first it didn't really bother me since I was so well known at the school and nobody dared to challenge me. It wasn't until visiting beastfolk from outside the city began to challenge me that it began to be annoying.

Obviously, I effortlessly beat all the challengers who came my way, but ever since I took a little too long to beat a busty catgirl Sylphy started spouting nonsense that I was going to 'Lose on purpose' one of these times and refused to let me fight anymore.

Now rumor has it that in order to challenge Linia or Pursena to a duel, you must first defeat Rudeus in a duel, but Rudeus will only accept duels from those who defeat Silent Sylphiette in a duel. Convoluted, I know.

Nevertheless, Sylphy insisted that she will handle all the matrimonial duels in my place from now on. Who am I to refuse? It's not like she's going to lose to any of them; Sylphy's improved considerably in her own right. If 'Fitz' was this strong when I had first met him a lifetime ago I'm not so sure that I could have beaten him back then.

"Why don't we wake Mr. Sleeping Beauty up?", Cliff suggested. "It's not fair that he's the only one that gets to sleep."

"Eh, might as well. Wouldn't want his tea to get cold."

~Meanwhile, in the school's training courtyard~

***** Narrator's POV *****

Several dozen beastfolk lined up waiting to challenge Silent Sylphiette to a duel. Tired of being bothered at all times, Sylphiette had announced that she would accept challenges twice a day. Once after lunch, and once again at the end of classes. The beastfolk patiently waited in the training courtyard for Silent Sylphiette to arrive.

"Hey! Watch it!"

"Bwahahahaha! I'm looking for Rudeus Greyrat! Do any of you know where I can find him?"

An incredibly tall man with six arms and jet-black skin approached the line of beastmen.

"Huh? Rudeus? Yeah, we're all waiting for our chance to fight him!"

"You too? Bwahahahaha! He's a popular fellow, isn't he?"

"Hmph! If you want your chance you'll have to wait in line like the rest of us."

"Hmm... There sure are a lot of you. Wouldn't it be faster for us to fight first to save time?"

The beastmen looked back and forth amongst each other in silence.

"Let's make this quick. All of you against me. I'll defeat the lot of you all at once!"

Shouts of anger bellowed from the rowdy beastmen who were becoming increasingly impatient themselves.

"What!?"

"All of us? Who do you think you are!?"

"Don't get too full of yourself!"

Sylphiette heard a loud commotion coming from the training courtyard as she left the cafeteria.

"Ugh, are those idiots fighting each other now? I'd better get there quick before they hurt each other..."

She ran through the halls as fast as she could and when she opened the door to the outside courtyard she couldn't help but stand in shock at the scene before her. Dozens of beastmen lay scattered across the ground, limp and motionless. Some of them wore school uniforms, but most didn't.

In the center of the battlefield, one hugely tall six-armed demon with obsidian black skin tossed aside the last beastman warrior as his laughter boomed through the air.

"Bwahahahaha! I applaud your bravery for challenging me young friends! It was a truly bad decision on your part, but a brave one nonetheless! The students of this 'University of Magic' clearly have some guts!"

As he laughed, a sharpened icicle flew past his head from behind, grazing the side of his cheek, leaving a small gash.

"Who are you!? Why have you attacked all these people!?", Sylphy questioned him angrily as he turned around to look at his assailant.

"I am the immortal Demon King Badigadi!"

"That was a warning shot", Sylphy warned. "The next one won't miss if you insist on attacking more of our students!"

Badigadi held his chin with one of his arms as he eyed Sylphy up and down.

"Hmm... You don't look at all like my fiancée described. Kishirika can be quite sloppy sometimes..."

Badigadi let go of his chin and reached up to his cheek to feel the gash Sylphy's spell left behind, albeit it was already healing.

"Then again, that was quite the spell you just sent my way. Must have been equivalent to King-Tier. Very well then! I challenge you to a duel!"

~Scene change~

Vice Principal Jenius was currently guiding the Sword God and his group of associates through the Academy towards their 'Advanced Magical Training Grounds'.

"I can't thank you enough for helping us in this distressing circumstance. The timing of your arrival can only be described as divine intervention!"

"Why would a Demon King invade this school? Is he trying to steal some forbidden knowledge or something?", Gal questioned as they hurried towards the training grounds.

"We willingly share our knowledge with all our students and we don't discriminate against any race who wishes to apply. We would even accept a Demon King if he wanted to officially enroll. No, from what I understand, this Demon King broke into campus grounds with the intent to challenge our top student to a duel!"

"Your top student?", Gal said as he momentarily stopped. "By any chance, do you mean Rudeus Greyrat?"

"Um, yes. I do. Do you know him?"

"Heh", Gal said with a devious smile. "This I've got to see."

Gal pointed at Jenius causing him to flinch back.

"You're too slow, old man. Point us in the right direction and we'll run ahead of you!"

~Scene change back to the training courtyard~

"W-what? A duel?", Sylphiette said as she continued to hold her out, pointed at Badigadi.

"Yes! My fiancée is always talking about how impressive you are! It's been ages since I heard such excitement in her voice! I'm a tolerant man, of course, but I must admit that I've become a bit jealous."

"Jealous? I don't even know who you're talking about."

"The Demon Empress, Kishirika Kishirisu."

"I don't remember meeting anyone like that!", Sylphy protested.

"Bwahahahaha! Was she not even worth your time to remember? How very rude!"

"Eehhh? I'm very sorry, erm, sir Demon King. I don't mean to be rude."

"Don't worry about it! It would be rather hypocritical of me to hold a grudge over something like that! I forget people all the time!"

Suddenly a short man wearing a rather conspicuous toupee pushed his way through the crowd that had formed around the courtyard and ran up to Sylphiette and whispered in her ear.

"My apologies miss Sylphiette. We are trying to get the situation under control. Is it possible you could buy us some time while we gather our forces?"

With that said, he turned tail and ran back into the crowd.

Sylphiette looked firmly at Badigadi with determination.

"Very well. I shall accept your challenge!"

"Bwahahahaha! Excellent! I look forward to seeing what you can do!"

"I have only one request."

"Oh? What sort of proposal do you have in mind?"

"This duel should not be to the death. A life is a tragic thing to waste, don't you think?"

"Begging for your life before we've even started? Rest assured, I did not come here to kill anyone."

Sylphy let out an audible sigh of relief when she heard that.

"Let me ask you this. What makes you so sure you'll lose?"

"Who said that I was going to lose?", Sylphy said with a smile as her confidence returned.

"Bwahahahaha! That's the spirit! Show me what you've got! I'll give you the first shot. Give me everything you have!"

At this point, Gal Farion's group had arrived and made their way to the front of the crowd. Rather than intervening in the battle, however, the five of them watched in anticipation.

"Eh? Are you sure? What if you get hurt?"

"Me? Get hurt? Bwahahahaha! I'm called the Immortal Demon King for a reason you know? I can recover from any injury, no matter how seemingly deadly. See?"

As Badigadi said this, he pointed to the gash Sylphy had left on his cheek which had already completely healed.

"Don't be afraid! Hit me with your most powerful spell! I want to see what you've got!"

'My most powerful spell?', Sylphy wondered what spell would be most effective in this situation. 'I'm most proficient with wind magic, but when it comes down to raw power from a single spell, I think it would have to be a fully powered up [Icicle Edge]'.

Sylphy held out her wand and fully concentrated as she poured mana into her spell. She was casting [Icicle Edge].

'Temperature: Minimum'

'Hardness: Maximum'

'Modifications: As sharp as possible'

'Velocity: Maximum'

As the crescent shaped blade of ice formed in front of her, Sylphy poured more and more mana into it. She focused the most on the blades durability and launch velocity. By the time she was ready to launch the spell she had to wonder if Badigadi would really be ok. This was by far the single most powerful spell she had ever attempted.

'FIRE!'

Sylphiette's crescent ice blade tore through the air towards Badigadi who was waiting expectantly with his hands at his side. The spell cleaved through the Demon King like a hot knife through butter and continued past him. The protective anti-magic barrier surrounding the Advanced Magic Training Grounds shattered as Sylphy's spell effortlessly broke through and continued forth.

Thankfully, due to Badigadi's tall stature, the spell had angled upwards meaning that when it struck the Foreign Languages wing of the school behind him it only shaved the top corner of the magic resistant bricks off rather than slicing through the heart of the building.

Badigadi's torso meanwhile, slid forward and fell to the ground, completely separated from his lower half.

"...Huh?"

Slowly, fearfully, Sylphy walked over towards Badigadi's body and looked down at him.

'He isn't... dead... is he? He said he can heal from any injury, right?'

As Sylphy examined Badigadi's dismembered body, the entire crowd surrounding the training courtyard became eerily silent. All the spectator's were struck with a mix of shock, awe, and horror, with the exception of a small group who stood in front.

"I... I don't believe it. To think they took out a Demon King in a single blow!", Timothy uttered.

"That is-"

"That's not Rudeus", Gal interrupted Eris.

"What do you mean?", Timothy questioned him. "To decimate a Demon King in a single blow? You're saying there's a young student here who can do that and they AREN'T the Magic God?"

"That level of power isn't enough to defeat the North God, let alone impress the Dragon God", Gal answered stoically. "Nobody's going to sit still and let you charge up a spell like that in a real fight."

"He's right", Ghislaine agreed. "That's not Rudeus."

"Not to mention that is obviously a girl", Nina added.

"That's Rudy's friend, Sylphiette", Eris answered. "He's been teaching her magic since they were little."

"The Magic God's pupil...?", Timothy muttered under his breath.

"She's pretty talented, but she's nothing compared to Rudeus!", Eris announced proudly.

"Bwahahahaha!"

Their conversation was interrupted by Badigadi's booming laughter. His torso propped itself up with his bottom pair of arms and climbed back up his legs before repositioning himself onto his lower half where his body firmly reattached itself. It was a bizarre spectacle to watch for anyone who didn't know him.

"You really got me good there! You win this one Rudeus! Feel free to call yourself a hero!"

"Huh? But, I'm not... Rudeus?"

"Yes, that would be me", Rudeus answered as he walked out from the crowd towards Sylphiette.

"Very impressive Sylphy. Or should I call you my hero from now on?"

Sylphy's face turned beet red as she looked away avoiding eye contact.

"Oh, come on now. Don't be silly!"

Sylphy walked up to Rudeus and gave him a fake punch to the arm.

"If you were there this whole time why didn't you help me!?"

"It looked like you had things under control. Besides, aren't you the one who insisted on accepting all the duels in my place?"

"This wasn't the same and you know it!", Sylphy said with a pout.

"Oh? So you're Rudeus then? It would seem I've made a mistake. You're the one I came here to duel!"

"Bwahahahaha!", Rudeus bellowed out in laughter. "Don't you think you've had enough duels for today?"

Badigadi's eyes widened in surprise before he responded with prolonged laughter of his own.

"I like a man who knows how to laugh! It's like Kishirika always says: Laugh first, think later! Bwahahahaha!"

The two of us continued our laughter together.

"You can call me Badi. I permit that of those who can laugh with me!"

"Nice to meet you Badi. I'm Rudeus!"

"I've heard much about you from my fiancée. You really left quite the impression on her."

"She's quite impressive herself! These demon eyes she gave me have been incredibly useful. Make sure to thank her for me next time you see her!"

"I'll make sure of it!", Badigadi said with a wide smile. "Still, I can't believe there's another person here with such a large mana pool! Laplace had one of the largest mana pools in all of recorded history. I would have never guessed there were two young ones like yourselves to have approached that level!"

"Rudeus Greyrat!"

Rudeus and Badigadi's conversation was rudely interrupted by a single man who walked out from among the crowd with his sword pointed in Rudeus' direction. He had a maniacal grin on his face as he shouted these words:

"I challenge you to a duel!"