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Enemies to lovers with a lot of fun.

What is the goal of a spin off? Why are they made and what do they have to offer to make them worthwhile?

For them to be enjoyable they can either be two things:

The first option is to make something new or wildy different to just explore what the world could be like if we were to add an element of chaos or crossover between stories - like "Isekai Quartet" or "Nisekyū!!".

The second option would be to to create a story, which stays true to the canon, but shows us a different point of view ... so one can see more of the world/characters they've come to like without being a complete copy-paste situation - which "Cell's At Work Black" did in a fine way for example.

"Akuyuu no Ore ga Ponkotsu..." falls in the second category as the reader gets to enjoy the story of Barbatos and Chastille, who are part of the core cast of "Maou no Ore ga Dorei Elf...". The chapters 1-13 are situated between volume 7 and 8 of the main story and are directly referring scenes as well (chapter 14 picks up after volume 10). While it's not impossible to read the spin off without knowledge of it's origin, one should be aware that this manga doesn’t spend too much time on repeating every scene that happened in the main story.

"Akuyuu no Ore ga Ponkotsu..." starts off by explaining some people are like fire and ice, light and darkness. Sorceres and angelic knights are known to be another prime example. They can not mix, they do not match, they can only clash. But is that really true? At first that certainly was the case, as Chastille had taken on the challenge of fighting Zagan, who is known to be the new archdemon and therefore an evil sorcerer. His friend Barbatos was and somewhat still is the same, a notorious bad guy with seemingly no redeemable qualities.

So what good can come out of him taking on the job as bodyguard of the maiden of the wholy sword, archangel Chastille Lillqvist - on paper the biggest threat of any evil sorcerer there is? Sometimes opposites attract and create a new sensation, like caramell and seasalt, meatballs and lingonberry, chili and chocolate. And that is exactly what the reader gets to experience in this story.

Our chaotic evil sorcerer and lawful good heroine slowly but surely evolve from just co-existing to "work buddies" to friends as the chapters go on and it’s safe to say that the transition feels quite natural. The main story obviously created the environment for this relationship to blossom and I cannot tell you how many times I have since then cheered for our idiot magician and clumsy knight to become more than friends.

That being said, the story unfortunately is not without flaws. The inital set up in the main story had the potential of ruining any chance of the both of them ever being on civil terms with each other. As far as being a solid base for a relationship goes, it's not a good start to almost be made a blood sacrifice by the hand of your potential lover (definite red flag, if that were to happen to you, just saying). It would be completely fair to ban their lovestory from existence on the basis of that fact.

Another fault I find with this story is that Chastille is portrayed far to clumsy and stupid. One can only wonder how she was able to survive as long as she did before meeting Barbatos. The story is still ongoing, so there is hope to have more scenes with her shining in all her work-mode glory (which plays a bigger part in the main story).

But as previously said: Spin offs are well done if they present another point of view and for the purpose of a sweet, little love adventure this manga delivers a light hearted, canon compliant and enjoyable read for fans of the main story, which is worth checking out.