𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞

“Amazing. . . . . .”

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In the town of Falgen, a sudden battle with demons broke out.

Upon seeing this, Rin, who had been dispatched as the healers for the warriors, muttered in awe.

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The beginning was truly abrupt.

Without any warning, a large horde of zombies appeared from the labyrinth and quickly destroyed the town’s defenses.

They relentlessly advanced into the town.

Although the local soldiers fought valiantly, they were unprepared for an assault by such a large force that could potentially overthrow a small country.

Unable to withstand even for a moment, they were quickly annihilated, and those who managed to escape could only report the grim situation.

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Upon receiving this information, immediate countermeasures were taken.

However, time was of the essence.

There was no time to organize troops, plan strategies, or share information about enemy strength.

The only orders that could be given were terrible from a strategic standpoint: anyone who could move had to rush to the scene.

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Rin also followed this worst-case order and went to the battlefield with other church forces.

Inside,Rin felt a conflict between fear and not wanting to go and concern for the townspeople. Still, there was no option but to go.

The church is an organization aiming to protect humanity.

Running away and abandoning the people they should protect is not permitted.

Therefore, Rin made up her mind.

However, if the information about enemy strength had been properly shared, Rin, who possesses valuable Healing Divine Protection, might not have been sent into such a deadly situation. . . . . .but that was beyond Rin’s knowledge.

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As Rin rushed to the battlefield, her heart was dominated by anxiety and impatience.

The only information that reached Rin was that a tremendous number of monsters attacked the town, and the defenses were broken.

Neither the scale of the enemy nor the extent of the town’s destruction was known.

Considering the enormous battle noises that were heard even before the messenger arrived, the town’s response would inevitably be delayed.

It was impossible to estimate how many people had been killed before their forces arrived.

Rin has many good acquaintances in this town.

The thought that many of them may have died turned Lin’s face pale.

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Arriving on the battlefield with such tragic thoughts, what Rin saw was. . . . . . a magnificent battle led by a great hero.

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“RAAAAAAAAAAH!”

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A towering young man, nearly two meters tall, was swinging a greatsword larger than himself, trampling the horde of monsters.

When the young man swung his greatsword, a massive shockwave erupted, instantly eradicating dozens of monsters.

Even powerful-looking monsters, or human-shaped monsters moving at blinding speed, had their attacks blocked head-on and were cut in two through sheer force.

Monsters attempting to bypass this young man and move into the city were exterminated by the knights protecting his rear and the town’s forces that had rushed to the scene.

Thanks to this, the monsters couldn’t advance into the town, and the damage was limited to the destruction of the defensive walls.

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It was a classic heroic tale.

The enemy’s strength was overwhelming, to the point of despair.

If it were just the town’s soldiers and adventurers, they would easily be routed.

Yet, this hero single-handedly took on such monsters and overwhelmed them with incredible power.

This is a chapter in the heroic stories humanity has woven for a long time.

The power of someone who bears a corner of humanity’s hope.

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His name is ━━ 『Sword Saint』 Blade・Valkyrias.

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One of the 『Holy Warriors』 defending humanity, a man possessing the divine protection of the Sword Saint.

Among those chosen by the gods, he is a truly great hero recognized by the world.

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“OOOOOOOOOOOOH!”

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Charging with a war cry against the Sword Saint is one of humanity’s mortal enemies: a demon.

A stitched-together monster boasting a physique larger than Blade himself.

Known as Franke, this demon possesses formidable strength even among his kind.

If you include the power of the zombies he controls, he would likely be second only to the top brass of the Demon King’s Army, the 『Four Heavenly Kings』.

Yet now, he has been reduced to nothing more than a mere pawn.

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Franke attempts to smash Blade with his mighty arm.

Blade meets the punch head-on, shattering it with a single swing of his greatsword.

However, a diminutive shadow wielding a dagger lunges at the nape of Blade’s neck, exploiting the moment he swung his sword.

This shadow is the wretched remains of a man who once possessed the 『divine protection of the dagger』 and was called a hero.

Blade quickly counters the dagger attack with his left arm, which he had released from his greatsword.

Although the gauntlet wrapped around Blade’s arm gets slashed, the blade loses momentum and only leaves a shallow cut on his arm.

With a swing of his greatsword using his remaining right arm, Blade cleaves the dagger-wielding zombie in two, reducing it to dust.

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Blade completes a full turn to face Franke, lifting his greatsword to unleash a death-dealing blow.

A man with a shield appears from Franke’s side to block the attack, but the overwhelming power crushes the shield and the arm that held it.

This man, too, was the corpse of someone once sung as a hero, having 『divine protection of the shield』.

Like the dagger-wielder before him, he was one of the strongest zombies in the Old Hag Demon’s centuries-long collected menagerie.

Yet he stood no chance.

From Franke’s perspective, it must have been a nightmarish scene.

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“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOUUU?!”

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Franke lets out a desperate scream similar to that of the Old Hag Demon and delivers a reckless blow with his remaining arm.

But he had a certainty that it would be futilely blown away in a straightforward clash.

Just before that certainty became reality, Blade spoke.

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“I am 『Sword Saint』 Blade! The man who will cut down all you demons!”

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His line seemed to echo that of another sword demon.

However, unlike that other sword demon’s words of resolve, Blade’s words carried an unshakable confidence, recognized by the entire world.

A pride that declared he is 『Sword Saint』 Blade, the one who will defeat the demons.

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“Carve my name into your soul and die! 『Destructive Sword』!”

“GUAAAAAAAAA?!”

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The Sword Saint’s finishing blow slashes Franke apart, and the shockwave riding on the blade obliterates him into oblivion.

The zombies, maintained by his magic, also turned to dust as the one who controlled them died.

Although some zombies that weren’t entirely dependent on the caster remained, their numbers had dropped to less than one-tenth of the original.

It didn’t take long to exterminate all the zombies and bring an end to the battle in this town.

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“E, Excuse me! Good work today! I’ll heal your wounds now!”

“Ah, thank you. . . . . .Wait, what?!”

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After the battle, Rin rushed to heal the wounds of Blade, who had been injured by zombies including a dagger-wielder. However, Blade seemed shocked upon seeing Rin herself.

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“Are you serious. . . . . .?! Why is someone like you in a rural town like this. . . . . .?! Hey, what’s your name?”

“Huh? M, My name is Rin.”

“I see. Well then, Rin. Follow me!”

“. . . . . .Eh?”

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Incidentally, the battle in this town would later be told as the beginning story of a great hero of the future. . . . . .but that’s another tale.

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However, none of those involved in this battle knew.

In reality, this town should have been destroyed. Despite the victory, it was a horrendous battle with a massive number of casualties.

The Sword Saint was preoccupied with a dragon-like disaster, while other warriors were devastated by a horde of zombies led by past heroes with extraordinary power.

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Because of that, the Sword Saint was tormented by regret and later joined the journey to defeat the Demon King as a member of the hero’s party, but died in battle due to reckless fighting.

Rin also suffered emotional wounds and would eventually lose her life at a young age.

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Nobody knows the presence of the small hero who prevented all this.

No one knows the feats of the young boy called the Sword Imp, who claimed to be a friend of the hero.

Not yet.