To put it bluntly, Yuri was underestimating the Full Moon Ritual too much.

In other words, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he was taking this ritual lightly.

On the first day of participating in the ritual, after narrowly escaping death several times, no particular crisis had approached Yuri.

No, rather, they had even smoothly defeated the woman riding a dragon who had been provoking them.

That’s why he ended up letting his guard down.

He forgot the fact that the essence of this ritual is not a fair and square sport, but something so vicious that it could be called a ‘war’ where people kill each other.

“I was too careless. To think that Psyche woman’s ability was the power to break the contract between magicians and heroes.”

“…I’m sorry. If only I hadn’t been taken hostage like that.”

“No, Yuri, you don’t need to blame yourself. I didn’t expect that a woman called a great magician would use such a petty method either.”

Sein mutters with a somewhat bitter expression.

That’s right.

A single moment of carelessness.

Because of that, Yuri and Sein ended up having their heroes taken away by Psyche.

At that point, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the outcome was decided.

It’s impossible to defeat a hero with just a human body.

As such, it would be literally suicidal for Yuri and Sein to fight Psyche with just their own strength.

And Yuri and Sein themselves knew that fact better than anyone.

That’s why.

“…We have no choice. Here, we need to cooperate with another magician.”

“Another magician?”

“Yes. That kid who has the great hero, Achaemenes. If we join hands with that kid, there might be a possibility of defeating that witch Psyche.”

“Oh, so the story develops in this way.”

“Well, the appearance of the great hero has been too sparse until now. We’ll finally be able to see the great hero after a long time.”

And seeing that sight where developments were happening so rapidly that it was impossible to predict even one step ahead, the viewers nodded their heads.

Just a while ago, I thought the story development was somewhat sluggish after annihilating the woman flying around on a dragon, but who would have thought the story would progress like this?

Just as the viewers were admiring how Ragna was once again tightening their discipline, right at that moment when they turned their gaze to the television.

“…Hmm?”

“Huh?”

For a moment, the viewers tilted their heads as they saw someone’s figure reflected on the television.

In other words, the reason was none other than.

“…Who on earth are you.”

The white girl who was guarding the great hero, Achaemenes, asks in a trembling voice.

The figure of the girl who used to smile confidently at Yuri and Sein in the past was nowhere to be seen.

The person here now is just a small, fragile girl feeling terribly anxious.

“You ask because you don’t know? I am the hero you know so well. Mongrel.”

“No, that can’t be! There are only seven heroes participating in this ritual. But to think there was an eighth one I didn’t know…!”

In front of the girl stands a man.

Even though they were watching from beyond the screen, an ominous aura leaks out from the man.

An eerie feeling as if witnessing a natural disaster rather than the same human.

And feeling that sensation, the viewers inadvertently admired.

The young man who appeared on the screen didn’t do anything particularly.

He was just standing still and looking at the white girl, but Ragna succeeded in amplifying the sense of pressure and fear towards the man tenfold by utilizing direction, composition, and appropriate background music.

Even without using magic or anything, emotions could be stirred up in this way.

The viewers inadvertently admired the animation Ragna made like that, but.

The point where they were currently feeling surprised was not just that.

Platinum blonde hair reminiscent of gold.

Crimson eyes burning red like blood.

Beautiful appearance that goes beyond just being handsome, to the point where it could be called seductive.

From that man’s face, people were reminded of a certain woman with the noblest status in the Empire.

“…Her Highness the Imperial Princess?”

“That face… Isn’t it Her Highness the Imperial Princess?”

“You’re right. No, it’s identical. I attended a ‘Book of Life and Death’ goods lottery event last time, and Her Highness the Imperial Princess was the host then? The face of Her Highness the Imperial Princess I saw then and this man’s face look exactly the same!”

That’s right.

In fact, the face of Kaya, the Empire’s Imperial Princess, wasn’t that exposed to the outside, but.

As she performed the role of assistant director under Ragna and took charge of various events, the number of people who knew her face increased a lot even among commoners who weren’t nobles.

And now.

A considerable number of viewers immediately noticed that the face of that golden man was not just similar but identical to Kaya’s face.

In other words, except for the difference in build and hair length, this man looked exactly like the Imperial Princess to the point of being reminiscent of twins.

“…Is this a coincidence?”

“No way. It can’t be a coincidence. Especially considering that Her Highness is currently producing animations under Director Ragna.”

Just as the majority of viewers were confused by the occurrence of a completely unexpected situation.

The great hero, Achaemenes, who was guarding the white girl, steps forward as if to block the man.

And the golden man smiles at him with a murderous intent.

“Ah, you were here. Well, that’s fortunate, I wanted to face you as a fellow demigod.”

“I know well what your ability is. The ability to unconditionally win thirteen times in all kinds of ‘wars’. An ability that embodies the lifetime you lived when alive. Truly indomitable. It’s the very hymn to humanity. However-“

“You met the wrong opponent today. I before you am the origin of all heroes and the first king of this world.”

With those words, the battle between the great hero and the golden man began.

The great hero’s fighting method hadn’t changed at all from the past.

He slaughters the enemy, trusting in his ability to never lose in battle and his incredibly powerful body.

It was an invincible method that had never been defeated no matter what hero he faced until now, but.

It doesn’t work at all against this man.

Sword, spear, bow, axe, shield.

The numerous weapons held in the man’s hands are wielded freely, easily piercing through the great hero’s body.

And, at the end.

“The ability to bring thirteen victories to your master. It’s an excellent ability. You have the right to claim victory in this battle.”

“…However, the price is death. Be proud of the fact that you won against this Hero King.”

The man used a weapon with the ability to ‘definitely keep the master alive’, offsetting the great hero’s ability.

And at the end, the great hero meets the conclusion of winning the battle but losing his life at the same time, and finally disappears.

“…..”

“…..”

And only then did the white girl realize the man’s identity.

One whose legend dates back much further than the kingdom’s Knight King or Achaemenes who existed in the mythical age.

A hero who is said to have established and ruled over the country called the Empire on the continent where nothing existed in the past.

His identity, who was also called by the title ‘Knight King’ because he knew how to handle all weapons existing in the world, was none other than-

“…The founder of the Empire, the Hero King.”

The dazed voice of the white girl.

And with the young man nodding his head satisfactorily as he looks at the girl like that.

Bzzt-

The screen goes dark, and the staff roll goes up.

Thus, the television showing the animation stopped working, but.

People couldn’t take their eyes off the screen, as if they had received an even bigger shock than when they found out that the identity of the hero Yuri summoned was the Knight King last time.

‘Kekeke…’

And Ragna, who had infiltrated the bar with his face hidden by a hood like Kaisel usually did, was bursting into a truly dignified laugh.

He finally made the Empire’s Knight King, the Hero King with a face exactly like Kaya’s, appear in the animation.

And as a character with an arrogant personality who calls humans who are not worthy opponents ‘mongrels’, which can never be called a good role!

Such a character has the exact same appearance as Kaya, the current Imperial Princess.

A development that seems to make fools of the Imperial Princess, the Imperial family, and the founder of the Empire, the Knight King… that is, the Hero King, all at once.

How could this not work?

But then.

“Good heavens! The Knight King, that is, the Hero King was a demigod?”

“Her Highness the Imperial Princess looked astonishingly similar to the Hero King! Then… doesn’t that mean there’s divine blood mixed in the current Imperial bloodline?”

“Then was the Empire a country ruled by descendants of gods? How could this be! Why didn’t I realize such a simple truth until now?”

“I see! Then Count Ragna produced such an animation on purpose to make us realize this truth!”

“Long live Her Highness the Imperial Princess! Long live the Hero King! Long live Director Ragna!”

“…?”

Huh…?

This wasn’t the reaction I wanted…?