𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. . . . . .
“Aaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
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Fezard swings her sword.
Fast.
Just incredibly fast.
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“Shiiiiii…..!”
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I match her movement.
Even when it feels slow in the moment, I still take Fezard’s swift slash.
Using the momentum, I activate Flowing Blade.
The speed of a pseudo-hero. . . . . .no, due to the increased speed from Fezard’s attack, I gain even greater speed and strike.
ㅤ
“Haaaaaa!!!”
ㅤ
Fezard directly confronts all of my attacks.
There are no feints.
If an attack misses and an opening appears, before I can exploit it, she’ll unleash an even faster attack to forcibly close the gap.
ㅤ
It’s like an aggressive assault, almost like Dragburn.
But unlike him, Fezard has skill, making it exceedingly difficult to engage.
There may be no feints, but that’s because she’s allocating that effort to increasing speed.
ㅤ
And even without feints, there are mind games.
Even while our swords clash at speeds that could easily surpass my perception, that bastard Fezard mixes in different tactics for each strike.
ㅤ
This one wavers slightly as it comes down.
If I align my blade without thought in that moment of wavering, it would probably get knocked away.
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This swing is accelerated at a strange timing by wind magic.
Misreading the timing by even a hair is deadly.
ㅤ
Now the attack has slowed.
No matter how much you surpass your limits, you can’t keep accelerating infinitely; there’s always a real limit and Fezard uses that limit to vary her attacks.
If I move with the sensation of him still being fast, I’d be split in two.
ㅤ
Any of these, if not dealt with correctly, mean instant death.
Parry it, dodge it, deflect it.
And then, counterattack.
ㅤ
“Fourth Strike—『Dark Moon』!”
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Riding on the momentum of Flowing Blade, I swing a black flame slash aimed at Fezard’s vitals.
Targeting elbows, knees, eyeballs, and the nape of the neck.
Additionally, I attempt to cut her down from the shoulder or hip as a diversion.
Hidden in the shadow of the black flame, there are times when the real attack comes from Onryomaru.
ㅤ
But she won’t crumble just like that.
My attacks are also parried, dodged, and deflected.
And in the gaps of my offense, she counterattacks.
ㅤ
“『Amatsukaze』—!!!”
“『Flowing Blade』—!!!”
ㅤ
Fezard and I clash swords.
We pour everything, more than our full strength, into it.
We whittle each other down, sharpen each other, and climb to higher heights.
ㅤ
I had absolute certainty.
At the end of this battle, one or the other would fall, and when one completely devoured the other as sustenance.
The one who survived would become a monster.
Compared to my previous self from the previous world, I would become a true monster capable of facing the Demon King at the height of his power or the Hero who fully unleashed the Holy Sword.
ㅤ
Such a monster could tip the scales of the battle between the hero and the Demon King, even if battered and bruised.
If I win, it benefits Stella.
If Fezard wins, it benefits the Demon King.
The loser will be in a tight spot.
ㅤ
That’s why, I cannot afford to lose.
Another reason to not lose has been added.
ㅤ
“I will win! To save her!”
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I reiterate my resolve.
I let the words resonate in my heart, intensifying my feelings.
ㅤ
“I will win! To repay the favor to that person!”
ㅤ
And then, Fezard also put her emotions into words.
From the next moment, our movements became even sharper.
The intensity of our feelings was the same.
Our techniques were equally matched.
Therefore, inevitably, our battle reached a fever pitch.
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“Aaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
“Ooooooooooo!!!”
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We slashed at each other while screaming.
It’s the final clash.
We were both at our absolute limits.
I had exhausted so much stamina that I could collapse at any moment, while Fezard’s entire body was deteriorating, not just her arms, due to the insane speed of hEr swordsmanship.
We were at a point where a fatal blow or even a light tap could bring either of us down.
Even so, we continued to chip away at each other.
ㅤ
Fezard’s slash severed one of my fingers.
Any more loss and I would seriously risk bleeding out.
ㅤ
My dark flame slash severed one of Fezard’s tentacle prosthetic arms.
She quickly reattached it as a prosthetic leg, but that meant she was now impaired in her mobility as she lost a leg.
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Just then, Fezard’s attack sheared off my left leg.
The Storm Leg Armor was torn like paper and shattered.
The leg itself was immobile as the nerves were severed.
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We were now fighting with nothing but determination.
Our feelings alone were driving our bodies.
And such a state couldn’t last long.
Though it felt like an eternity, in reality, it was only a matter of minutes when the end of our fierce battle arrived.
The moment when our bodies could no longer keep up with our feelings.
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“?!”
ㅤ
The one to collapse first was Fezard.
If there was any difference between us, it was the difference in allies.
Fezard had not only been hit by my attacks but also by attacks from Ruberto-san.
That made her collapse before me.
ㅤ
“Gwooooooooooooooooo!!!”
ㅤ
However, as one would expect, it was not going to end so easily.
Seeing that she was about to go down, Fezard decided to put everything into one last slash to bring me down before her.
Just like Dragburn’s Blue Flame Dragon, she burned her life to make up for her lacking strength.
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“Hh. . . . . .?!”
ㅤ
Fezard’s all-out attack was an upward slash from the lower position.
Seeing it, I broke into a cold sweat.
It wasn’t just faster than any attack so far.
The blade was wrapped in an enormous wind power.
Swinging it would unleash a destructive force surpassing even Dragburn and Asgard’s all-out attacks.
ㅤ
A combination of extreme speed and power.
An attack that could only be unleashed in exchange for her life.
This was Fezard’s resolve. . . . . .!
ㅤ
I had to break through this.
If I didn’t, I couldn’t move forward.
I will do it!
I will surpass you!
ㅤ
If it’s released with this speed and power, I won’t be able to deflect it.
So first, I have to weaken it.
Third Strike Deformation!
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“『Slashing Sweep: Crush』!”
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First hit!
Before the sword starts accelerating, before the enormous wind power fully condenses, I dissipate the energy with a Slashing Sweep from Onryomaru!
However, Fezard’s tenacity was terrifying, and through incredible magical control, she restored the dissipated energy in an instant.
ㅤ
Next!
Sixth Strike Deformation!
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“『Sky Rebellion: Flame』!”
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I slam Kurotenmaru, accelerated by the black flames and the ongoing Flowing Blade, into Fezard’s moving sword.
The impact I deliver collides with the force of Fezard’s attack, penetrating and shattering the weakest part of the blade.
As a result, Fezard’s sword breaks.
Likely, it was a masterpiece on par with Kurotenmaru, but it couldn’t withstand my Sky Rebellion that utilized Fezard’s full-strength blow.
ㅤ
Still, Fezard’s attack doesn’t stop.
With the broken sword, about half of the gathered power dispersed, but the remaining half is more than enough to obliterate me.
Fezard’s broken sword is pushed out.
With incredible speed and force.
ㅤ
If I deflect it with just the Flowing Blade, the force of the wind gushing from the blade will tear me apart and kill me.
So, Distortion. . . . . .No, that won’t work.
Though I’ve reduced its power, my current posture, having swung two blades, would still be greatly disrupted even if I manage to deflect it.
If Fezard delivers the second stroke with determination, it will be the end.
ㅤ
Then, I’ll counter this strike!
The technique I use is Calamity Return.
A technique developed through the application of Flowing Blade and Distortion.
It distorts the trajectory of the attack and returns it to the opponent.
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“Fifth Strike━━.”
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First, I distort the trajectory of the blade swung from below and the path of the explosion enveloping the blade using my two swords.
In the accelerated moment, I slightly push my sword, which is in contact with Fezard’s, forward while aiming it upwards.
Because of this, Fezard’s attack suffers an interference before it can stabilize its path, and the angle of the blade that was aiming to bisect me from below changes.
As a result, Fezard’s all-out strike veers upward.
ㅤ
However, pressed by an incredibly heavy and fast strike, my body starts to fall backward.
Even while falling, I’ve entangled Fezard’s current attack with my two swords, which were forced upwards.
I further alter the path of the explosion that veered upwards, flipping it.
I take the second stroke that Fezard was supposed to deliver.
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It demanded incredibly delicate movement.
If I mismanage the movement even by a thousandth of a millimeter, the arm channeling the force of the explosion through the sword will shatter.
Not just that, my right arm, which had once been cut and forcibly reattached, cracks, and intense pain assaults me.
Still, I grit my teeth to prevent the blade from wavering and successfully distort the direction of the explosion where I want it to go.
ㅤ
“Calamity Retuuuurn!!!”
ㅤ
The explosive slash that flips over above our heads and descends diagonally attacks Fezard.
Much of the entangled force has escaped upward as an explosion, but the remaining power has sufficient force.
It could split Dragburn right in two.
ㅤ
Fezard was already about to release the second stroke in return.
But, too slow.
A desperate strike, thrown by exceeding my limits and risking my life.
If it’s returned with the same speed, if not the same force, even the top of the Four Heavenly Kings can’t keep up.
At this moment, I’ve surpassed Fezard in speed for the first time.
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My twin blades, which guided the explosion, cut off Fezard’s left arm and enter her left shoulder, exiting through her right flank.
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“Ah, ga. . . . . .?!”
ㅤ
I won.
I thought so.
Fezard can’t regenerate anything other than tentacles.
Even if she could, after being wounded by black flames, ordinary regenerative abilities wouldn’t heal her.
Even if she somehow clings to life, her head and severed left half won’t move.
The tentacles that extended from there also won’t move.
The tentacles on her right side remain burned off.
ㅤ
Fezard has no chance of turning things around anymore.
She shouldn’t have, at least.
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So this must be something beyond reason, drawn by Fezard’s sheer tenacity.
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“GAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
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Fezard screams in her tattered state.
Then, she moves the three burned-off tentacles on her right side.
She forcibly pins her detached left half back to her body using tentacles with burned tips.
Tentacles gruesomely sprout from her left chest, stomach, and right hip.
The damage looks fatal even if the injuries I inflicted didn’t exist.
ㅤ
But somehow, the moment her body forcefully reattached, Fezard’s left half began to move.
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What the hell?!
Even if many demons have strange abilities, this is definitely not normal!
Fezard’s injuries haven’t healed.
Though it seems to have reattached on the surface, the wound is still burned by my diagonal slash, hindering natural healing.
ㅤ
Yet it moves.
Despite nerves and everything else supposedly not being connected, Fezard’s left half moves.
She doesn’t need legs to finish me off, as she’s right in front of me and she’s transformed her tentacle legs into tentacle arms to compensate for the lost arm.
ㅤ
Fezard swings down her broken blade with both tentacle arms.
I can’t dodge.
I moved recklessly to counter the previous attack, and my posture is now compromised.
And this attack is another desperate strike, just like the last one.
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In what feels like slow motion, I desperately search for a solution.
But nothing comes to mind.
My body won’t even move.
Have I reached my limit from the previous combat, unable to muster enough strength to counter Fezard’s attack?
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Damn it!
Move! Move, my body!!
I can’t die here! I can’t!!
ㅤ
“Boy!!”
“?!”
ㅤ
It’s Ruberto-san who saves me, not my own desperation.
Ruberto-san, who has lost both arms, rushes forward and pushes me out of the way.
I’m moved out of Fezard’s attack range, but Ruberto-san remains where I stood.
ㅤ
Fezard’s strike is aimed directly at Ruberto-san.
ㅤ
“Ruberto-san!!”
ㅤ
I can’t see what happened to Ruberto-san due to the dust cloud caused by Fezard’s devastating strike.
All I can do is pray that he managed to avoid a fatal hit.
With the sturdiness of a Holy Warrior, he could survive if he avoided a fatal wound.
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“I’m. . . . . .not done yet. . . . . .”
ㅤ
Fezard turns towards me again, her voice hoarse.
And raises her blade once more.
ㅤ
“I can’t lose. . . . . .I won’t lose. . . . . .Not until I repay that day’s kindness. . . . . .”
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Fezard mumbles, almost delirious.
From her form, I felt no life anymore.
Her eyes are unfocused, her body trembles, and it takes an excruciating amount of time for her to assume her stance.
Probably, her consciousness isn’t clear either.
She will die soon.
Fezard was in such a dying state.
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“I remember. . . . . . not a day goes by when I don’t. . . . . .
You made me human. . . . . .the days I spent with you were filled with happiness. . . . . .
So, until you attain a world where you can be happy, I must fight.”
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Even so, in such a state, Fezard moved.
She takes a stance slowly, fighting for someone other than himself until the very last moment.
Surely, what Asgard found so captivating that he imitated it must be this guy’s spirit.
Watching her, I. . . . . .
ㅤ
“Oh, ooooh!!”
ㅤ
I too, force my powerless body to stand and face Fezard.
There’s no running away in this condition.
I have no choice but to shatter Fezard’s final strike head-on.
Above all, I can’t afford to lose in the strength of my feelings!
ㅤ
“Come at me! Fezard!!”
ㅤ
I can no longer hold two swords.
I let go of Onryomaru and grip Kurotenmaru with both hands.
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“──『Spring Breeze』.”
ㅤ
Fezard’s final attack is unleashed.
A sword of explosive wind that destroys everything, unbefitting of its name, strikes at me.
It’s an attack that I can’t weaken in advance, unlike before.
I can’t deflect it the same way as last time.
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Then, there’s only one technique to use here.
My whole being.
I have no choice but to counter it with everything I have.
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I assume the stance for a certain technique.
This technique boasts a difficulty level that’s incomparable, even if I feel invincible, it’s unusable in high-speed combat.
It’s only usable when the enemy steps back and unleashes their most powerful technique that I absolutely can’t counter.
A technique to go against an opponent with an absurdly unfair power gap.
A technique to kill the Demon King.
ㅤ
This technique is my everything.
With no divine protection on my talentless body, with disproportionate desires like wanting to avenge the hero or protect the hero, I’ve continued to refine this Ultimate Killing Sword. It’s the end result.
The final destination I reached by mastering the six secrets.
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“Ultimate Killing Sword.”
ㅤ
The seventh killing sword.
The final secret technique.
ㅤ
“Final Strike──.”
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At that moment, the flow of power in Fezard’s attack completely went awry.
The control escapes its user, at first glance it seems chaotic, but its essence is ever so intricate. The wind rages and then. . . . . .
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“OOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
“Ah. . . . . .”
ㅤ
My ultimate secret technique deflects Fezard’s attack,
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“Demon King, -sama. . . . . .”
ㅤ
and engulfs Fezard herself, erasing her from this world without a trace.
The once raging winds settle, and silence fills the air.
In such a quiet world. . . . . .I found myself naturally speaking.
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“. . . . . .I can’t allow your existence.
You are the enemy of Stella. If you live, Stella will be in danger.”
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No matter how noble a heart they may have, no matter how much I want to acknowledge them, they can’t be left alive.
Our paths will never cross.
When they do, it’s a collision.
In order to carry through one of our paths, the other must be shattered.
But still. . . . . .
ㅤ
“. . . . . .I can’t forgive you all for existing in this world.
So at least, I’ll pray for your peace in the afterlife.”
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If there is an afterlife,
If something like reincarnation exists,
I hope you find happiness there at least.
You were an enemy that made me think so.
An enemy I wished was not an enemy.
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You’d probably hate being prayed for by me.
I would resent it.
If I were the one who had died, I’d definitely resent anything threatening Stella after my death.
Just like the me from the previous world.
Still, I couldn’t help but wish.
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“Goodbye, Fezard.”
ㅤ
At that moment, a gust of wind blew.
A warm wind, almost like a spring breeze.
That wind swept up the dust where Fezard had last been, and flew off somewhere.
I knew where it was headed without having to think about it.
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