Chapter 84 – There Is No Next Time (1)   

There was no comparison, she was overwhelmingly beyond any foe she had faced before.

To even have an “opponent,” the premise was that you could at least respond in some way.

Humans can’t stand against rain and wind.

They can’t resist storms, and when faced with searing heat or biting cold, all they can do is endure.

This was just like that.

But in this moment, an exception appeared.

When the holy sword shone, 

Even the frost and icy storm, as furious as nature’s wrath, subsided for a moment.

At the same time, 

“Why are you all just playing around?!”

As if calling out to friends, she shouted, 

Cutting through the freezing gusts, she appeared.

Ases.

“That’s no ordinary skill, is it? You were hiding something like this? How shameless!”

Amazingly, the sword she wielded, slicing through the blizzard and battering back the hail and shards of ice with nothing but a human body, was so absurdly powerful it was hard to believe.

“…Why are you the one holding that?”

“Uh?”

Venus, joining in late, stared at the shining blade in Leo’s hand, letting out a bewildered laugh.

“Not that one, but that went to you?”

“Uh… Well… Riel told me to draw it…”

“What?”

What kind of nonsense is that?

“Hahahah!”

Splitting the ice pillars before her, brushing aside the rushing hail and ice fragments, 

Ases charged forward, never once appearing normal.

“That crazy woman’s off the leash.”

“How is that even possible?”

It wasn’t just Leo wondering.

“Her bloodline’s famous for hunting dragons and even mingling their blood with dragons from long ago.”

And supposedly, they’d even received blessings from the ancient native spirits ruling over their domain.

“She refused the blessing and was cursed instead, I think.”

What was given in exchange for shirking her duty and refusing responsibility.

A girl destined for a dazzling future, but who threw a tantrum, rejecting any future prepared by someone else, 

She was cast out by her own country.

But naturally gifted, a genius, 

She always made a place for herself wherever she went, always claimed her share.

There was no one of her generation who could stand against her.

And that much remained true, even now.

“But that’s only impressive by human or normal standards.”

If something beyond that appears, the story changes.

No sooner had Venus finished speaking than she was flung away, as if kicked by something invisible.

But even as Ases rolled across the ground, she caught herself, attempting to right her body even while being dragged along, proof that she was no stranger to treatment like this.

“What now?”

“…….”

“If you’re just going to die, hand that over first. Then I’ll personally use it to stab that woman to death.”

“I… I can’t do that.”

“Tch.”

Venus clicked his tongue and drew his sword.

“Let’s deal with that first, then we can talk.”

The battle raged fiercely.

Strangely enough, Ases seemed used to this kind of fight, showing off unbelievable moves.

She countered even magical assaults with uncanny precision.

And with Leo and his group truly wielding the holy sword, their strength was not something to ignore.

Every one of them was a battle-hardened champion who had overcome endless adversity.

But, 

No matter how fiercely an ant struggles, it’s still just an ant.

No matter how a pack of wolves tries to stand against a bear, 

That’s only possible when the difference in size, power, and resources is manageable.

But who decides that?

– …….

The Demon King watched it all with detached indifference.

For some, it was a scene of desperate struggle, a real, life-and-death battle, 

But for her, it was all someone else’s business.

That’s why,

Only when Cariel opened his eyes, 

Did the slightest change appear in her indifferent expression.

Her lips tilted faintly as she gave a brief summary of what had happened.

Even now, 

At this moment, someone was rolling across the ground.

Someone else was worrying over whether to amputate their arm, frostbitten and close to losing it.

Someone else, with a thigh pierced by an icy spear, their body freezing solid, still smiled madly as they swung their sword.

No matter how brilliant or noble the holy sword’s light was, 

It wasn’t magic, sorcery, or trickery, based on mana.

There was nothing the holy sword could do against this.

A sense of helplessness. Powerlessness.

Perhaps the most shaken was Leo himself.

Even so, as he watched his companions collapse, he strengthened his resolve.

Maybe, 

If only he died, everyone else would be safe.

But even so, Leo couldn’t simply give up.

…Even the holy sword had always emphasized that.

And Leo, too, never intended to give up, not for a moment.

“…….”

And, 

The same went for Mines.

Maybe, as a result, she and her brother Lui would finally be free.

But, 

If she killed the champion, where in the world would she belong?

In the end, even if she hated it, those who’d accept her would be extremely few.

Why did she let Barugo go?

Partly because she didn’t want to kill unnecessarily, but also because who knew how things might turn out later.

Now, she would be called a Demon King.

Even though she’d suppressed it all this time, in the end, it was exposed.

Now it was a fate she could no longer run from.

Who would ever leave someone with power like this alone?

She cursed herself for being clever but not clever enough.

If only she hadn’t known, she wouldn’t have to suffer so much over these choices.

“Aaaaah!”

Suddenly, 

The holy sword in Leo’s hand burst with violent light.

The blinding radiance shot up to pierce the sky,

And in a single moment, swept away every domain she had created.

‘That’s…’

It’s dangerous.

Just a moment ago, he seemed so fragile, like he could be knocked down at any moment.

What on earth changed him?

“…….”

She followed Leo’s gaze.

Even though his own body was battered and broken,

Was it the sight of his comrades’ plight that made him so angry?

And did the holy sword respond to that?

In the end, he wasn’t swinging his blade out of revenge, but, 

He was wielding his anger to protect.

Realizing this, she felt wretched all over again.

Why did it have to come to this?

If only he had been overwhelming, and she’d simply been defeated by his hand, 

…if it had turned out that way, 

Maybe that would have been better.

‘But…’

That’s not possible.

With her gesture, the frigid wind howled even fiercer.

It swelled like a dragon’s ascent, as colossal as that pillar of light, stretching all the way to the distant sky.

That pillar of light, seen like this, seemed utterly insignificant.

But it didn’t fade.

It didn’t diminish.

Instead, it grew even stronger.

‘Maybe…’

I might lose.

But I have to survive.

No matter how great my sins,

…what fault does that child bear?

Or is simply being born a sin?

I don’t know.

Still, the world is cruel and harsh, 

So, even the strongest hopes and wishes

Are crushed, scattered, and broken with ease.

They’re trampled without a care.

“Luines!!”

“…….”

I introduced myself as Mines.

Had he already forgotten?

Why does it hurt, that he can’t remember?

Following her gesture, the great storm leaned toward Leo, who raised the holy sword, and his companions.

And to meet it head-on, Leo drew a deep breath.

……

――?

‘Why, .’

Why are you there, ?

Someone who shouldn’t be there stood in that place.

A jet-black boy, gripping a long sword in his right hand.

Then,

Drawing another sword from his waist with his left,

Right in the heart of light and storm,

He met it all, with his sword,

And his bare body.

‘Why?’

– Why would you go that far?

‘Why are you there?’

It wasn’t just Mines’s own question.

Leo, noticing it belatedly,

Had already swung the holy sword.

Above all,

The one who seemed most unable to accept what was happening,

With a look of utter bewilderment,

Was the golden girl, 

That is, the Demon King herself.

* * *

Just a few minutes earlier, 

Even this brat, who always stepped in to suffer and endure for others, had come to the time to face reality’s cruelty.

The death of someone he knew.

The helplessness of being forced to watch, powerless.

All of this would someday drive him to grow stronger.

Some would be broken by it.

But this kid was different.

His life had been rough and hard, 

Yet, even now, he was still a flower in a greenhouse.

No matter how much you struggle in a dream,

It’s still not reality.

So by experiencing reality’s cruelty, overcoming and defeating it,

He would grow stronger.

Yes.

It should have unfolded that way.

But he wasn’t in any condition to move, was he?

No matter how firm one’s will,

If it’s impossible, it’s impossible.

What’s impossible simply can’t be done.

So why?

Why did he stand up?

How can you walk forward in these conditions, when even standing is almost impossible?

How are you able to hold that heavy sword, when grabbing even a straw would be too much?

– What are you trying to do?

I don’t understand.

What can you possibly do now? There’s nothing left for you to change. It’s all over.

That girl, Mines, would step back as long as Leo died, wouldn’t she?

Or if Leo miraculously killed Mines, and that ended it, then fine, no harm would come to you.

– Are you even listening to me?

……

What are those eyes looking at?

What is it those eyes are seeking?

I don’t understand.

Why pick up the sword? Why stand up?

Your body is in the worst state.

Right now, simply being alive is a miracle.

Just taking a single step is the same as inviting death.

Even this ordeal could kill you at any moment.

No, is it even possible for you to walk in such a state?

Even putting all that aside, 

When not even the uninjured can stand upright in this storm and razor wind, how can you move forward?

A few seconds, a few dozen seconds.

Even so, he somehow managed to walk forward.

And when he reached that place,

He just stood there for a while, as if waiting for something.

Then, as both sides readied what seemed to be their final blows, a moment of stillness fell.

But could you really call this stillness?

On one side, a blizzard soared to the heavens, freezing and scorching the whole area.

The only reason anything was left unscathed was that Leo, with the holy sword, shielded the area.

But Cariel, the lunatic, was outside even that sanctuary.

And with nothing but his own body.

But… how is he able to stand there?

Why is he all right?

No, is it right to even call him “all right”?

– This…

Is not what I expected.

Even I have a sense of what’s reasonable.

There’s a clear difference between recklessness and courage.

As much as I’ve forced him into inhuman, senseless situations, 

That was all in dreams.

It was only possible because it wasn’t reality.

In real life, I might have pushed from behind, but I never told him to hurl himself at death.

Not like this.

Never told him to face certain death, to stand up to it.

– N… no, wait.

Could it be…

Is he standing there not to protect the kid with the holy sword,

But for some other reason? Because the positioning is strange.

And why…

Why is he drawing two swords?

As if aiming at both sides.

– …….

At this point, even I can’t help but focus on the scene before me instead of thinking too deeply.

Thus,

All the power of both sides converged in a single instant.

No, this was more like a collision.

And at the point of impact,

Cariel, standing there, however faintly,

Raised his swords toward both sides.

It was as if, 

…he was trying to hold up a collapsing sky

With nothing but human hands,

With those small hands of his,

A truly reckless, truly foolish act, 

So much so, you could hardly bear to watch.