How Not to Summon a Demon Lord (Volume 11) – X Marks the Rot!
Diablo lost the use of his left arm and discovered that any powerful spell would bring the entire cavern down, killing Rem and Lumachina. Batutta had planned everything to perfection… or so he thought!
How Not to Summon a Demon Lord (Volume 11) – X Marks the Rot!
What happened?
Diablo used a lightning spell, knowing that it wouldn’t impact the fragile walls of the cavern, however, Batutta was ready for that, avoiding it and then launching another attack at Diablo. This time, he drove his spear through Diablo’s chest. As Batutta revealed in his victory, Diablo grabbed his arm and started to freeze him. Batutta was stunned but still able to react, cutting off his own arm before it spread to his body. How could Diablo still be alive? Well, Diablo has an item that ensures that a fatal attack leaves him with a single hit point. Another attack and he would be finished. Batutta ordered Shiliu to kill Lumachina, which was a problem for Diablo. Luckily, Shera was ready, firing an arrow through Shiliu’s hand. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Shiliu turned to stone, an effect of the improvements Klem had made to Shera’s bow. Diablo and Batutta went head to head in a light magic versus dark magic attack. No one beats Diablo in a head-to-head magic battle.
After defeating Batutta, they found themselves trapped at the base of the cavern with the walls crumbling around them. Diablo cast levitation on the altar and flew them all straight up and away to safety. Meanwhile, Laminitus had been visited by a demon claiming to work for the demon lord. He planned on adding her to his harem and killing everyone in the town. He was far too powerful for her to handle, but left once the odds weren’t in his favour. He will be back to claim her soon, though. Laminitus decided to track down Diablo, believing that he was the demon lord this demon served. She found him and the party in the desert outside the city and was ready to attack when Lumachina asked for a chance to prove their innocence. She revealed that she had been marked by the Death Plague curse and that there is a dungeon nearby that has a cure. They would recover that and heal the citizens. Laminitus seemed to be happy with that, but on the condition that one of the party remained behind. Diablo was not about to allow that, so he cast an earthquake spell and told everyone to run.
What did you think?
I’m struggling to work out how they made such a mess of the anime. So far, the second season’s part of the story has been great. I’ve enjoyed every moment and it’s been almost identical to what the anime showed. Ultimately, I think it came down to the animation quality. In the first season, the characters were dynamic during the fights. The action was excellent. In the second season, it felt like a lot of slides that were occasionally shaken to make it appear that there was movement. It’s ironic that the manga, which has no animation, is able to do a better job of conveying the story. It doesn’t make any sense, but this is far superior to the anime at this stage.
I loved the way Diablo defeated Batutta and how it gave us a chance to see Batutta despairing about how he could possibly lose. That’s my favourite thing with overpowered protagonists. We know they are strong, but no one else seems to recognise that until it’s too late. There’s something enjoyable about watching that level of overconfidence crumble as they realise that they are completely outmatched and never stood a chance. The one thing that I’m having the hardest time with is the fact that everyone seems to think that Horn is a boy… have they not seen the cover?
What was your highlight?
I remember finding the scenes in the dungeon to be a little too ridiculous in the anime and once again, the manga did it better. I loved the early levels where Diablo killed everything on one level with a poisonous fog. Then, he obliterated the walls in a maze that changed every so often. They didn’t have any time to waste, so it was amazing watching him basically cheat his way through the dungeon. Of course, he designed it, which made it even funnier as Horn tried to explain how to beat things, only for Diablo to do what he did.
However, one of my favourite moments was when Rem said that all of the floors were incredibly well made with a masterful eye for magic. Diablo was almost about to tell her he made it, but she also said that it was all incredibly childish such as the quiz level and the idol level. It’s hard to argue with her. Of course, we later discover that the Paladin who was trying to kill Lumachina had returned and tried to ambush them on a narrow bridge over a surging river. It seems unlikely that he would have been able to overtake them especially given Diablo’s knowledge of the challenges. Anyhow, Horn fell in the river saving Lumachina, so Diablo dived in after him… her… Diablo will find out soon enough!
Series Information
| English Title | How Not to Summon a Demon Lord |
| Japanese Title | Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo no Dorei Majutsu |
| Genres | Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Isekai, Romance |
Anime
Season One
Season Two
Manga
| Series | How Not to Summon a Demon Lord | |
| Author | Yukiya Murasaki | |
| Artist | Naoto Fukuda | |
| Volumes | Ongoing | Chapters |
| 1 | I’m Dangerous, I Swear! | 1-4 |
| 2 | Overpowered Overlord! | 5-9 |
| 3 | Keyboard Warrior! | 10-14 |
| 4 | The Devil You Know… | 15-19 |
| 5 | Boss-level Badass! | 20-24 |
| 6 | Demon Lord vs Demon Lord! | 25-29 |
| 7 | The Demon Within! | 30-34 |
| 8 | Don’t Wake the Demon! | 35-39 |
| 9 | Into the Woods! | 40-44 |
| 10 | A New Threat! | 45-49 |
| 11 | X Marks the Rot! | 50-54 |
| 12 | Swept Away! | 55-59 |
