Bernatore, Bernatore

Balrog’s large horns come into view as Flare chokes me.

‘Faster than expected?! What kind of boss is going to come out, seriously!’

“W-wait! Flare!”

“Huh? What’s that?”

She speaks as if reading from a textbook.

She seems too surprised to move, so I quickly get up, grab the Lion sword, and step forward.

“Come on! Balrog!”

KRAAAAAAAANG—!!!

“…Being protected might be nice.”

I couldn’t hear Flare over Balrog’s loud howling.

“What was that, Flare?!”

“Ah, it’s nothing! S-Senior! Look out!”

My inheritance passive sends power through my body, allowing me to easily dodge Balrog’s sword falling right in front of me.

‘It’s not like he’s the Demon King. I don’t need to use an inheritance skill.’

You rat bastard!

The Lion sword’s blade is as sharp as a master sword should be, enough to tear through a demon’s muscles.

Matching the timing of the fire sword coming down vertically, I take a sidestep and thrust where he can’t avoid.

I aimed for the shoulder muscle responsible for arm rotation at maximum reach, but Balrog noticed at the last moment and twisted his body, only grazing his thick biceps.

‘Barely scratched him.’

I retrieve my sword and create distance.

T-That’s all you can do?! It tickles! Hahaha!

No need to be disappointed.

‘I just need to counter his next attack.’

Balrog suddenly emits mana from his body, materializing it like a black aura.

I waited for this! Blame your foolishness and arrogance!

The black mana covering his muscles stops the bleeding, and his attacks become faster and stronger.

“Senior! It’s dangerous!”

I raise my hand to signal Flare, who’s trying to rush to help, to stop.

‘Just that?’

“I’m fine!”

He’s just a mid-boss in the early event.

Dodging again—!!! KRAAAAAAAANG—!!!

The terrified Balrog swings his sword before I can even reach him.

‘Mana, huh…’

Bwoom—!

W-What?! Why are you stopping?!

I originally thought I’d be half-dead by the time I got here.

But thanks to Sophia’s unexpected actions, I’m perfectly fine.

‘Should I give Flare a taste of what true mana materialization is?’

The thin thread of mana I create slowly descends down my arm.

So, you’re a knight who uses mana! I knew it!! This will be a fun fight! Hahaha!!

I nimbly dodge Balrog’s increasingly fast sword and thinly coat the Lion sword with mana.

KRAAAACK!! Just get hit already!! You rat!!!

“Hmph.”

Covering the whole body in mana consumes a lot of energy.

There’s no need to use it so inefficiently.

‘That looks cool, but this is overwhelmingly more efficient. And this is tens of thousands of times harder.’

I know it in my head, and I have the skills inherited from the Heroes I controlled, so it works somehow.

It doesn’t work on ridiculous guys like the Demon King, and it’s not at a satisfactory level yet, but…

It’s a valid technique against someone like the Balrog in front of me.

‘Is it ready?’

I start a counterattack instead of just countering.

The thin, thread-like blue mana doesn’t falter against Balrog’s sword, which burns black like dark flames, but rather cuts through the blade itself.

What?! I definitely have more mana?!

‘To think he can use this at this point. Inheritance is definitely a cheat.’

Based on the inheritance passive, I adjust the mana more precisely to forcibly unlock a higher-level skill for a moment.

‘How many times do you think you’ve died to me in the first place?’

The thread of mana surrounding Balrog’s sword thickens.

The number of threads sticking to the sword gradually increases, and soon a single skein turns the sword blue and extends it.

“S-Sen— Senior?!”

It has a different original name, but gamers called this skill the same as something that appears in martial arts novels.

‘Sword aura.’

Hero—!!

Stop it and die already.

“Die.”

Swish—!!

Kuaaaaaaa!!!! My arm!!!!

Before his right arm even hits the ground, I swing the Lion sword enhanced with sword aura and cut off his neck like a reed.

Swish—!

‘2nd phase skip.’

Balrog couldn’t say anything and turned to ash, his arm and neck severed.

“S-Senior?”

“Are you okay, Flare?”

“…Y-Yes!”

Now all that’s left is to deal with the boss.

‘I wonder who’s going to come out.’

I’ll assist, but Flare needs to do well no matter who comes out.

Everyone in the dormitory except me has evacuated due to Sophia’s emergency order in the early morning.

I’m slaughtering the annoying imps in front of me like wringing the necks of moles that have come up from the ground, and I don’t know how much effort I’ve put into not getting blood on my slow body.

‘Scarl will be here soon, so I don’t want to be covered in blood from our first meeting!’

As I was ravaging and slaughtering the imps… I hear Scarl, no, Senior’s voice from somewhere.

‘Senior Hati!’

It’s the voice of my senior that I’ve only heard in my dreams.

I run like crazy.

As soon as I see him, I hug him tightly.

‘Senior. Senior! Senior!! Senior! You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this moment…’

His face, unharmed and intact, is the same as it was five years ago when we were peacefully eating together.

…His last appearance, when he died because of my mistake, overlaps.

I know now.

Who’s inside him.

But Senior is Senior.

‘…Scarl is Scarl.’

I still don’t know why he’s pretending to be Hati, but everyone has agreed to respect it as much as possible until he reveals it himself.

‘I’ll have him all to myself for a little while before my sister and Sophia come.’

I’m enjoying the happy moment in his arms when an uninvited guest arrives quickly.

‘This smell is…’

Senior pushes me away as if he’s seen Balrog too.

‘Too bad.’

“W-wait! Flare!”

I still have to do what I have to do.

“Huh? What’s that?”

Was I too awkward?

I’m just looking around when Hati jumps out to protect me.

‘…This isn’t good for my heart either.’

“Come on! Balrog!”

KRAAAAAAAANG—!!!

“…Being protected might be nice. Oops!”

I accidentally blurted out my thoughts and covered my mouth with both hands.

“What was that, Flare?!”

Fortunately, Senior, who was distracted by Balrog, doesn’t seem to have heard me.

“Ah, it’s nothing! Senior! Look out!”

Is Senior going to be in danger again because of me?!

I’m about to jump out to kill that weak Balrog in one hit, but Senior raises his hand to stop me.

Then, he dodges Balrog’s sword at a speed that can’t be compared to before.

‘Huh? Was Senior always that… fast?’

I see his movements differently now that I know more.

And I see Senior fighting using mana for the first time.

‘…How can Senior use mana?’

“Die.”

I didn’t know before.

The current Flare knows how difficult the sword aura he just unleashed is.

And that relaxed expression.

Balrog’s arm and neck are instantly severed by the mana blade.

‘What… I didn’t even see him cut off his neck at the end.’

It’s shocking.

That’s Scarl?!

“S-Senior?”

“Are you okay, Flare?”

“…Y-Yes!”

In his complete state, he was at least equal to me three years from now.

He’s coming right away.

Through countless experiences, I realized that the boss of the Flare event is the Demon King.

‘I have damage reduction, and only Flare takes full damage, and of all things!’

Moreover, only Flare’s final hit is recognized.

One end of the hall.

Something is slowly rising from the space filled with darkness.

The figure of a man in black clothes.

[Hero. Your neck…? Who are you? Hoho—!]

‘Demon King.’

This is the worst.

The silver lining is that my body is in good condition and Flare’s power is fully preserved.

As soon as I meet the Demon King’s gaze of death, I bite my tongue to draw blood and forcibly resist, correcting my posture.

‘Should I wait for the academy support troops to come from outside?’

That’s the standard strategy.

‘But it’ll be too late without Flare’s help!’

I throw the Demon Sword 『Revenge』 I was carrying on my back to Flare first.

“Catch!”

‘There’s no time to give her anything else!’

The Demon King’s arms turn black, and a black hand pops out of the shadow and knocks away 『Revenge』.

At the same time, another hand appears from behind, riding Flare’s shadow, so I quickly hug her and roll to the side.

“Be careful!”

“Senior—Eek?!”

‘Damn it! 『Revenge』 flew to the other side! And the distance to the Demon King is even further!’

“While I hold him off, somehow pick up that sword and help me!”

“Yes!”

This is the worst.

Flare’s help is essential to stop him.

‘There’s still a limit to how I can handle mana in this body!’

[What are you rat bastards plotting?]

The Demon King, enjoying his leisure, gets up from his seat.

“Flare! Can you emit light from your body or spray mana on your body like that Balrog from before?”

“I can… I’ll try!”

It seems she’s figured out mana materialization.

Judging by the fact that she’s not intimidated by the Demon King’s gaze, she’s succeeded in resisting the gaze of death.

‘Until Flare picks up the sword and helps me, 1 minute!’

I pour a lot of mana into my sword to draw aggro.

[Hooh.]

I add an inheritance skill to the Lion sword covered in sword aura.

‘I have to shave off even a little bit of his health! Taking advantage of his carelessness, with the strongest thing I have!’

“Third Moon!”

Swish—! Swish—!! Swish—!!

‘Did it work…?!’

The Demon King, who was instantly divided into three parts, recovers as if he hadn’t taken any damage.

I rush in for a follow-up attack.

“Kugh!”

One black hand rising from below blocks my approach, and the other hand hinders Flare’s movement.

[You’re being annoying.]

‘Make both hands use it on me!’

“Following Fourth Moon!”

The place where Third Moon was cut blooms like a flower, splitting like a cross.

The black hand that was hindering me has disappeared, but the Demon King is regaining his form at an even faster speed.

[It tickles.]

Unlike his words, he’s looking directly at me.

‘No! How many big hits do I have to land before his health starts to decrease! That bastard!’

I used up all the remaining mana on two inheritance skills covered in sword aura.

It’s getting to the point where it’ll be difficult if Flare doesn’t help me soon.

The situation is getting worse and worse due to the Demon King’s appearance being different from the game.

[Second Hero. You’re quite something for a rat.]

I try to buy some time by talking to him.

“What are you doing!”

[I want to ask you that.]

“What’s your purpose in appearing?”

I blow my nose to get rid of the blood flowing from it and glance at Flare.

[…Tricks.]

I nodded slightly to Flare, who was holding the sword and making eye contact, meaning she did well.

[I’ll kill you first.]

The Demon King’s hands turn black, and a hand extends from the shadow and digs into my stomach.

I instinctively raise my sword to defend.

One black hand destroys the blade that has lost all its edge and disappears.

However, I failed to grasp the other one coming from behind.

‘I let my guard down—?!’

“Flare!”

Luna appears with the brightly shining holy sword.

“Sister Luna!”

“Luna…?”

‘I told you to stay in room 404?!’

“I’m here too!”

Sophia, who appeared with a staff, appears.

“Sophia!”

“…Princess Sophia?!”

‘The hero party from the DLC has already gathered?! Is this also that prophecy or something I heard from Sophia earlier?!’

[It doesn’t matter how many small fries increase… First, die, you most annoying rat.]

The Demon King’s hand turns black, and a hand extends from the shadow and digs into my stomach.

I instinctively raise my sword to defend.

One black hand destroys the blade that has lost all its edge and disappears.

However, I failed to grasp the other one coming from behind.

‘I let my guard down—?!’