𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
Cutting down the demons that stand in my way, I aim for the top.
Even from this distance, I could feel an immense clash of power at the very top of the castle.
Presumably, the battle between Stella and the Demon King has already begun.
This is terrible.
The worst of the worst.
I despise how slow my feet are, especially compared to Stella and my comrades. . . . . .!
ㅤ
Desperately urging my anxious heart to calm down, I run, balancing speed with preserving enough stamina to fight the Demon King.
I’m glad I chose to equip the Storm Leg Armor.
The difference in movement speed with and without it is like night and day.
ㅤ
As I continue to advance further and further, higher and higher, a sudden crack appeared in the corridor before me.
Even on the inner walls of the Demon King’s Castle, which should be extremely durable, coated with dark magical energy like the outer walls.
ㅤ
“Guhhaaaaaa?!”
ㅤ
The crack quickly became a large hole, and someone was blown out of it.
It was someone I recognized.
A brawny swordsman in his mid-twenties.
It was. . . . . .
ㅤ
“Doug-san?!”
“Hauu?!”
ㅤ
Doug-san, who had broken through the walls of the Demon King’s Castle, had a broken sword and a deep cut from his shoulder to his side.
Worse, he had knocked his groin against the rubble where he landed, and fainted while foaming at the mouth.
He’s probably crushed down there.
ㅤ
What on earth?!
Is this for real?!
I hurriedly took out a Recovery Potion from my Magic Bag and poured it over him, but the potion can’t heal missing parts.
The bleeding from the cut stopped, but it’s a drop in the bucket.
ㅤ
“What the. . . . . .!”
ㅤ
While pouring the Recovery Potion on Doug-san, I looked into the large hole from which he was blown.
There were many warriors there.
Swordsmen, spearmen, ax users, club wielders, shield bearers, archers, wizards, healers, etc.
All of them heroes with divine protection.
The number exceeded twenty people.
Among them, there were at least five who seemed to be Holy Warriors.
ㅤ
All those forces were wiped out the moment I turned my gaze.
ㅤ
In an instant, the heads of many warriors flew.
Those who barely dodged or blocked that blow were cut in half vertically or horizontally by the next attack.
Even if they survived that, the next attack came.
And yet another, at an incredible speed, ensuring that no one could withstand them until the end.
ㅤ
The enemy who did this was just one person.
A single demon radiating tremendous power.
She looked almost human.
Around 17-18 years old in appearance, with the same golden hair and blue eyes as Stella.
Dressed in traditional Japanese armor, her right eye covered by a large eyepatch, and a sword in her hand.
And on her back, as proof of her demonic nature, were black, twisted wings that looked like entangled pipes.
ㅤ
“Huh?!”
ㅤ
Seeing her, I felt a sense of danger far surpassing what I felt against Dragburn or Asgard.
In fact, I sensed a strength that exceeded even the Demon King from the previous world.
My body moved reflexively, and the hand that was holding the Recovery Potion drew Onryomaru from my waist.
My instincts were screaming that if I faced her with only my initially equipped Kurotenmaru, I’d be instantly killed.
ㅤ
The demon makes its move.
It slaughters everyone on the scene, notices me, its new enemy, and with a flash of the sword in its hand.
Fast.
Faster than any attack I’ve ever seen!
Even Ruberto-san’s Instant Slash doesn’t even compare!
ㅤ
“Huh?!”
ㅤ
Somehow, I deflected the slash that came flying at godspeed with Distortion.
The deflected slash further destroys the shattered wall, and Doug-san is sent flying somewhere by the shockwave.
I don’t have the luxury to care.
I can only hope that he regains consciousness on his own before getting caught up and killed, or found by another enemy.
ㅤ
“『Wind Demon’s Blade』.”
ㅤ
Realizing it failed to finish me off, the demon swings its sword again.
A storm of slashes, easily exceeding a hundred in a second, all come at me with godspeed.
I focus all my nerves, observe the slashes, and compensate for what I couldn’t see with my eyes through experience and intuition.
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“『Distortion Chain』!”
ㅤ
I deflected all the slashes.
I move both swords at maximum efficiency, deflecting slashes and cancelling them out by colliding them with other slashes.
In less than a second of this intense exchange, my stamina and concentration are heavily drained, sweat bursts out from my body, and my breath becomes ragged.
ㅤ
The demon, perhaps recognizing that I wasn’t easily dispatched, opted not for a careless follow-up attack, but maintained a guard with neither complacency nor openings, glaring at me.
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“. . . . . .Surprising. You don’t have divine protection, do you? I didn’t think there’d be someone like you aside from those with divine protection. This is why humans can’t be underestimated.”
ㅤ
Most demons, upon realizing I don’t have divine protection, let their guard down.
They look down on me, scoffing, thinking I have no means to defeat them.
But this one is different.
Unlike Dragburn, who laughed recognizing me as a formidable opponent despite lacking divine protection, there is no smile here.
Absolutely serious, purely focused, it simply regards me as a formidable opponent it needs to defeat.
ㅤ
The same gaze I direct at demons when I face them.
She might be the most troublesome type.
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“Let me introduce myself. I am Fezard, the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s Army, the 『Wind』 of Four Heavenly Kings.”
ㅤ
This one is the final of the Four Heavenly Kings.
And the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings.
I’m not surprised.
I had thought she’d be such a formidable being.
ㅤ
“You’re strong. That’s why I can’t let you go to the Demon King.
I am the last fortress protecting the Demon King. I’ll slash down anyone who gets in the way, so the Demon King can focus solely on the hero.”
ㅤ
The emotion in the eyes of Fezard, the demon before me, is conviction.
Entirely different from other malicious demons.
Different from Dragburn, who was fueled by the instinct to fight.
Different from the lifeless Asgard.
It’s even arrogant to compare her with the utterly despicable Vampneel.
ㅤ
What resides in Fezard’s eyes is conviction.
An unwavering conviction to protect the Demon King at all costs.
A conviction so strong it inadvertently invokes a strong sympathy within me.
ㅤ
Could that be why?
Before I even realized it, my mouth was open.
ㅤ
“I’m one of the Hero’s Party, 『Sword Demon』 Allan. I’ll defeat you and move on.”
ㅤ
I’ve rarely introduced myself when facing demons.
I never thought they were worth the introduction.
I did introduce myself to the Old Witch Demon, but that was more like a pledge to myself.
It’s not that she was worthy of the introduction.
ㅤ
However, I felt that I had to introduce myself to this one.
I felt the need to firmly declare my convictions and overcome yours with my own.
ㅤ
“A member of the Hero’s Party, huh? Then all the more reason I can’t let you go to the Demon King.”
“I’ll get through no matter what. Just like you want to protect the Demon King, I want to protect the hero too.”
ㅤ
I put strength into my legs, activating the Storm Leg Armor.
Fezard propelled herself with the blast generated by her twisted wings.
We closed the distance and clashed our swords, our blades, and our beliefs directly against each other.
When two people who have something they cannot yield come head-to-head in a situation where neither can retreat,
Only one can shatter the other’s convictions and stay true to their own.
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