So… So weak…

Those had been my initial thoughts when Uriel had gone and showed me his stats. I had thought that, with him being an Angel of the Stars and all, that his stats would have at the very least been closer to mine.

The reality of the matter, however, is leagues below what I had expected. And this is supposed to be one of the most powerful entities among all Angels… Whatever fear my mind had conjured is now completely blown away.

“Hmph. I see that sheer awe has rendered you speechless.”

Uriel talks with triumph blatant on his face. He’s not wrong; the sheer awe has indeed rendered me speechless.

“Can you now grasp my words? This should have made it clear as day; the difference in power between us is vast.”

He’s not wrong; the difference in power between us is vast indeed. Just where does this guy get that kind of confidence? I’m starting to think he’s just playing things up for a good laugh.

“Yuuto-sama!”

Anri rushes in front of me. She takes one look at Uriel, and her eyes go wide.

“That’s one of the Seven Angels of the Stars…! Yuuto-sama, I will fight in your stead! Find shelter while I do so!”

For goodness’ sakes, Anri’s being the usual worry-wart. If she’s getting worried for my sake over someone of his caliber, then I really have ways to go. Although to be fair, even Anri, who I may consider to be my closest associate, doesn’t know my stats. It’s understandable.

“Anri, be at ease. Just leave this to me. You and the other demos may stand back and watch me do battle.”

“B-But –!!”

“Go now, don’t waste time. Unless you want to be caught up in all of this.”

“…Understood.”

While she does show reluctance, Anri retreats. Seeing this, Uriel allows himself a throaty chuckle.

“I must say, High King, you certainly take care of your underlings. But know that I plan to deal with every single demon within that castle once you have been taken care of. This does little but change the order in which you lot will perish.”

“Enough of this meaningless banter. Let’s get started, shall we?”

“I suppose so. This is where the High King’s execution commences. You may mull over your lack of power while you fall to the underworld!”

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“…Hmph.”

Feeling somewhat amused, I unconsciously let a smile slip. Taking him on in regular combat won’t amount to much of a battle. It would be more boring overall. I might as well humor him for a bit.

“I will allow you three options!”

I raise three of my fingers as I speak.

“… options?”

“One: I will not defend against a single attack. Two: I will not move a step from where I stand. Three: I will not use more than three spells. You can choose any one among these three. It will be my handicap when I fight against you.”

It’s easy to notice the throbbing vein that had appeared on Uriel’s forehead.

“What’s the matter? Hurry, choose. You have five more seconds.”

“You wretch… You dare mock me, do you?!”

Uriel raises his right hand, and what appear to be spears of ice materialize above his head by the dozen.

“Have a taste of this! Incantation: Judgement of Glacial Spears!”

Dozens of icy spears fly, heading for me. I don’t as much as twitch, taking the full brunt of each and every one of Uriel’s attacks.

“Yuuto-sama!”

I can hear the screams of the demons, Anri’s reaching me first.

“Hahahahah! How are they, High King?! How do my glacial spears taste?!”

Once Uriel’s attacks cease, I take a look at my own stats.

HP  –  9,999,999,998 / 9,999,999,999

“Ohoooh!”

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I let out a call of genuine wonder. This is the first time I’ve actually been damaged since my reincarnation. I guess I should praise the power of the Seven Angels of the Stars.

“Ridiculous! There can be no way one can stand after facing my Judgement of Glacial Spears!”

Uriel now wears an expression of utter shock.

“Oh, come now, they were splendid. I would never have thought you could actually make a whole point’s worth of damage. That title of yours clearly isn’t just for show.”

“A single… point…?”

“You are the first to damage me since my revival in this world. You may take pride in that.”

“…Fuh… Huhuhuh…”

Uriel lets out a rather unpleasant chuckle.

“So you plan to call turmoil upon me, do you? It is simply unthinkable that you would take my onslaught head on and come out with but a point of damage. In truth, you must barely be able to stand upright.”

This Angel sure has a knack for strong delusions. He has to have quite the confidence in his own ability.

“Do not think that this false front will hold for much longer! Incantation: Frenzied Glacial Saltations!”

This time, several titanic icebergs cloud my entire field of vision, then charge towards me. This Uriel appears to be a user of Ice-Type Spells.

HP – 9,999,999,995 / 9,999,999,999

I check my stats again. Three whole points of damage this time. Well, at least it’s a bit better than his last attempt.

“W-What in the world is this?! Why will you not fall?! Does some manner of sorcery protect you?!”

“Not to worry. I have yet to use a single spell.”

“What did you…?!”

Uriel’s face begins to twist and warp itself greatly. With his stats being far too… well, you know, I had played with the thought that they might be compensated for by some sort of powerful special magic he had in store. That line of thought’s fallen flat, it seems. I feel like an idiot for taking even the slightest of precautions.

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“Incredible… Even the attacks of an Angel of the Stars mean nothing to him…!”

“Yuuto-sama’s simply amazing…!”

That’s the kind of chatter I can hear the demons having among themselves.

“Da… Damn it aaaaall!”

Now well aware that the spells had not had their desired effect on me, Uriel creates a blade of ice in his right hand, faces towards me, and rushes forward.

“DIIIIIIIIIE!!!”

“Guh…?!”

Uriel’s blade bursts against my chest.

“Hah… Hahahaah! I knew it! Anything other than a spell connects well enough!”

“…Does your vision need checking?”

The ice sword hadn’t even pierced my chest. The damage is a whopping total of zero, of course. Instead, cracks begin to creep down the blade until it shatters completely.

And here I’d let loose a ‘guh,’ if only out of sheer instinct. Maybe my yet-remaining inner nature as a human is to blame, but I can’t seem to get used to this no matter how often I experience it.

“This… This cannot be…!”

“Even your ice spears and glaciers were more enjoyable. Now then, what do you plan to do next?”

“D-Damn! Damn it all!”

Uriel creates another sword and cuts away at me, only to create yet another and cut away yet again. Still not a lick of damage. At this point, this is nothing more than his pitiable, desperate struggle.

I let out a breath. Then, just as one might chase away a pesky mosquito, I lightly waved my right hand.

“BUGYAAAAH!!!”

Uriel is sent flying a great distance, crashing into the wall beside the entrance. Soon after, Uriel’s body peels itself from the wall and falls to the earth with a heavy thud.

“C… Curse you…!”

Unsteadily, teetering and tottering, Uriel rises to his feet. Somehow, it only serves to make him seem all the more pathetic.