Part 1

Damn it! He's strong, but it's way too reckless to challenge a General alone!

"Roland! Get away, I have a plan!"

I tried my best to reach out to him, but between our distance and the horde of undead behind us, it fell on deaf ears.

"Kazuma! Kazuma, all the undead knights in town are chasing us! They're chasing me! Wahhh!"

I was going to lead the horde to Beldia, but I can't let Roland get caught in the crossfire! Please hold yourself back, Megumin!

With his head high up in the sky, Beldia drew his sword and Roland put on his gloves. I hope they're as useful as he told me!

"They're catching up! Kazuma-san, they're catching up! Save me!"

"I know, just keep following me!"

While we lured the chasing corpses, the Dullahan raised his sword and prepared to decapitate Roland.

He isn't even dodging! Was Beldia too fast?!

"... Huh?"

Something struck Beldia in the chest and he flinched. His attack was stopped in its tracks and he jumped back.

What the hell?

"A shotgun!?"

Where did he get that?!

While Beldia retreated, Roland brought out a claw and rushed him. Three sizable scratch marks spread down the General's chestpiece.

And then he pulled out a dagger. From behind, Roland attempted to stab at his joints. Beldia sidestepped away in time and only received minor grazes.

At the same time, he prepared his own attack.

To counter this, two shortswords. One deflected the massive sword coming his way and the other slashed at his wrists.

And then a hammer. There was no clang or ring, but the impact was true as Beldia stumbled backwards from the strike to his knees.

And then a mace and axe. The Dullahan evaded their wrath and thrusted his sword at Roland's chest, who twisted his body in time to avoid getting pierced. I could definitely see cloth flying, though. He, or at least his clothes, were still hit.

He had a wide arsenal. He had the skills to go toe-to-toe against what should be the final boss of a dungeon.

But what I want to know is,

Where is he getting these from?! His ass?! Can he just summon any weapon at all?

I can ask him later. Right now, he's forcing his much bigger foe to focus entirely on him, sometimes even forcing him to go on the defensive.

We don't have to worry about Roland losing or Beldia massacring the town for now.

With that knowledge, I screamed:

"We're far enough! Megumin, do it now!"

Under my command, Megumin took off her eyepatch, raising her staff with her eyes shining.

"What a wonderful situation! I'm truly grateful, thank you Kazuma!"

Magic circles formed near her staff and above the center of the horde.

"I am Megumin! The elite mage of the Crimson Demons, wielder of explosion magic! Demon King's General, Beldia! Behold my power!"

Her staff glowed bright and the half-dozen magic circles glowed.

"Through the darkest of nights and blackest of hearts—hear the beating of my soul! The manifestation of my passion! The true power that shakes the core of the earth, forcing the heavens to their knees! Through this crimson-black blaze, this frenzied blade clad in night, I beseech thee—!"

The magic circles in the sky grew bigger and brighter with each word uttered. I've seen this many times now, but never before did I feel dwarfed by what I was seeing.

"Kneel to destruction incarnate! Explosion!"

Megumin cast the explosion spell she was so proud of and ignited it in the center of the undead army.

It was like a nuclear bomb. On our daily explosion walks, I could watch and rate her explosions. Now, if I did that, I would be blind!

The spell created a crater right before the main gate and blew all the undead knights away. Even in an empty plain, the sound of the impact reverberated and rang in all our ears for many deafening seconds.

Everyone was silent because of the sheer power of the spell.

As an expert explosion judge, I can proudly say that this was a 150 over 100 points.

"Fufu… Everyone's lost for words after witnessing the power of my explosion… Fuahh… Including the one narrating this speech… All this… Feels so good…"

The crimson demon proudly said before collapsing, satisfied with the results.

"My mouth is full of sand…"

Aqua, who had been the closest to the undead knights, spat the sand out of her mouth as she walked towards us.

It seemed that the explosion spell made her trip and fall.

The dust from the explosion had not yet settled when all the adventurers in town cheered.

"Woah! That was awesome, girl with a screw loose!"

"That crazy crimson demon girl took all of them out!"

"Even though you have a weird name and questionable sanity, you're amazing when it counts! I'm impressed!"

Megumin, still on the ground, forced herself to look at me.

"Sorry, please remember their faces for me. I want to cast an explosion on those people."

I sighed and put her on my back—

Wait a minute!

Almost forgetting about them, I looked over to the two people fighting and saw them standing still and looking at the sky. The Dullahan's head was back in his hands.

Were they watching the spell?

Beldia began to shake. Was he laughing? For some reason, I couldn't hear what he was saying. Roland's mouth was moving but I couldn't hear him either.

Thinking about it now, I couldn't hear anything from their direction at all. Roland pulled out a shotgun earlier and I definitely would have heard it fire, but I didn't.

Roland turned his head to the headless warrior and nodded. His opponent once again tossed his head into the sky.

From out of nowhere he pulled out another weapon. A long, single edged sword. It looked like a futuristic katana.

The two clashed, sparks flying all over as Roland left many more chips on Beldia's armor. The adventurer himself looked unharmed, aside from his torn suit and all the dirt on him. Because Beldia got him to fall on the ground or because Megumin's explosion scattered it so much, I never saw.

"Everyone! The crazy little girl took out the small fry, so let's help Roland!"

Everyone was inspired. At least two dozen warriors were belting battlecries as they sprinted towards the two duelists.

The priests and mages lined up and began casting spells. Based on Roland suddenly glowing a rainbow, they were buffing him.

The sword from earlier was gone and in its place a much larger sword. It was rectangular in shape and had a few spinning gears on its flat side. It was as big as Beldia's sword and the two were clashing blades yet again.

He leapt backwards to avoid a horizontal slash and used the opening to bash Beldia on the side. Instead of pushing it off or retreating, Beldia ate the attack and swung again at Roland, forcing him to let go of the weapon to weave past it.

Despite the size difference, Roland matched Beldia blow for blow and even had the speed advantage, landing a hit every few clashes. Whenever he couldn't block an attack, he evaded and counter attacked like he just did.

What kind of office did he work in?

"Sorry, Megumin. I should help out. Can I leave you by this boulder?"

I asked her. She sighed.

"If you must. Don't leave me here after."

"I wouldn't do that."

With her confirmation, I gently sat her against the rock and joined the rushing adventurers. Even though Roland was getting a lot of hits in, Beldia was barely reacting to most of them. It was only the blunt weapons that got a major reaction.

That must be why Roland is using a sword straight out of Berserk! The only problem was its size. It was too big to maneuver effectively.

We had to distract or slow down Beldia in some way and let Roland do an all-out attack.

I extended my hand and screamed:

"Create Water!"

Wait, I shouldn't dictate my attacks to him!

Beldia was leaping towards Roland when the water hit him. In an instant, he stopped his jump and began… Panicking? That wasn't even a strong splash. He didn't even dodge despite my shout.

Still, he was distracted! I didn't expect that spell alone to do much, but that was even better…!

"Freeze!"

I followed up by chanting basic magic that freezes water.

The water froze him all the way to his chest, though his arms were still free.

Based on how his arms were moving, he was definitely talking, but I still couldn't hear him. Is this some kind of silencing spell?

The charging adventurers were finally close enough to get into battle stances, surrounding him. Roland, unarmed, was adjusting his cut tie over a part of his exposed chest.

I have to admit, it's kind of cool doing that mid-combat.

That aside, this was the best opportunity I'd get!

"Stopping you from dodging is the advantage I needed! Take this! Steal!"

… Nothing happened.

Damn, is our level difference too high?!

I'll have to rely on freezing him being enough. With the help of over twenty warriors, Roland should be able to take out an immobilized enemy!

He stayed back as the other men charged Beldia.

Again, there wasn't any sound at all! I'm farther away than they are, but I should definitely hear their battlecries and jingling equipment! And I definitely would have heard Darkness, who was with the adventurers, saying some bullshit!

Beldia parried the first sword that attacked him. At the same time, the ice on his body shattered through the force of his movements.

He slashed the first guy across his chest and dodged another behind him. He did the same earlier against Roland. It's like he has eyes on his back!

It's clear that we were not strong enough to challenge him like Roland. He blocked and weaved through their attacks like it was nothing! Darkness was in danger!

Barely ten seconds into their attack and most of the adventurers were slain. His next target was the masochist!

She blocked his attack, but the force still knocked her off her feet and at least ten meters away.

Roland leapt into action again and attacked with the two shortswords. The Dullahan threw an overhead slash which he parried with one sword while the other pierced Beldia's armor, right in his abdomen.

Why didn't he help the adventurers while they outnumbered the Dullahan? Maybe he tried to warn them, but this weird silence spell affected him too.

Even if they're equal, Roland was bound to get tired. Undead, however, do not experience the same downsides.

At this rate, our loss was guaranteed. It might be in a few hours, even a few days, but it will come!

Think! The foe was a Dullahan, what was its weakness in role-playing games?

If I had a strong point, it would be finding the attack style my opponent despised the most when PK'ing in MMOs.

Observe him in detail.

Why did he react so strongly to the water I created?

…

… Flowing water?

That's right. Undead-type monsters like vampires were afraid of flowing water.

If even vampires can be harmed by them, then it should affect that Dullahan too! Hell, it already did!

"Create Water!"

I was behind Beldia, but he didn't even try to dodge me again. They really can't hear me. The water impacted him and his back arched, hopefully in pain.

Distracted, he couldn't do anything but take the full force of Roland's giant rectangular sword. He sunk a few feet into the ground and left a small crater.

That's it!

I shouted:

"Everyone! It's water!"

Part 2

This guy was strong. No less than an Urban Plague, but no more than that, either. The adventurers getting slaughtered also helped me gauge the strength of the forces in Axel. About as strong as Grade 9 and 8 Fixers. I almost feel bad for not helping them.

That's about everything I wanted to find out about. I'll finish him off now to avoid any more deaths. Thanks to Kazuma, I got the opening I needed for one last attack.

In my hands were the Atelier Logic Pistols. I shot them one after the other.

Then I pierced where his heart should be with the Allas Workshop Lance, followed by two swings with the Old Boys Workshop Hammer. His body was stumbling and he could not move fast enough to dodge or even block.

I took out the Mook Workshop Katana and unsheathed it as fast as I equipped it. At Beldia's location, a hundred cuts traveled all over his body. His arms, his chest, his legs—not an inch was spared from the hail of slashes.

While he recoiled from the attack, I rushed him with Ranga Workshop's Clawed Gauntlets and Dagger. Again. And again. His armor was already cracking, but now entire segments of his plated armor fell to the ground, revealing the rotting flesh beneath.

I swung my body around and struck the spot where his head should be with the Axe from Zelkova Workshop, and then the Mace.

We were already in a sizable crater from all of the attacks. It grew deeper with an overhead slash with the Wheels Industry Greatsword, and more with slashes with Crystal Atelier.

Durandal wasn't with me, so I took the Atelier Logic Shotgun once more and leaped and pelted him with pellets from above before I looked to the sky. His head was still there.

It didn't take me long to figure out how he was able to evade some of my backstabs. I just never bothered telling him that I did.

Landing on his body's shoulders as it slumped to the ground, I pulled out the Allas Workshop Lance and leaped towards it, stabbing it right in the eye for the finale.

Furioso, if rather changed up.

"Well, that was simple… It's no problem at all for me!"

By the time I landed, I already took off the Black Silence gloves and held the impaled head in hand. The sound of flowing water was everywhere. Aggressively flowing water.

I looked back at Axel's gates and saw that every mage besides Megumin was drowning Beldia's body in water. I should also thank them for making me all shiny earlier. I don't know what they did, but my body felt a lot lighter and I could exert a lot more force thanks to them.

Were he a little stronger, I might have even needed them. I lost my augmentations when Angela dismembered me, but she replaced them with even better ones.

I don't have that anymore. My body felt normal, untouched by musculoskeletal enhancements. Unless you were the Red Mist, it was impossible to go beyond Grade 9 as a Fixer with the limits of human bodies.

Thankfully, that didn't apply here for now.

Even if I matched a high-ranking foe despite my less than stellar limbs—the equivalent of Kalo for the Demon King's Thumb—I should still ask about limb augmentation, if they exist in this world. My movements were too sluggish compared to the attacks I had in mind. Hell, he ruined my suit because of it.

"Now, what to do with you?"

I mused as I raised Beldia's head to the height of mine. I felt him sweating a little.

"W-wait, you've already bested me! Let me go!"

"Ah, no can do. But you do look like you need a bath."

My grin was very, very wide.

I addressed the mages still shooting water at Beldia's body. It was covered completely in black smog and flailed around in vain. He was as good as blind when I'm forcing his head to stare at my face.

"Hey!"

All attention was on me. I shouted:

"Catch!"

I tossed his head into the air and watched it fall. Right before he hit the ground,

"Ahh! It's a flying head! Kill it, kill it!"

This 'soccer' thing the children of the Backstreets talked about was kind of fun.

I hope I get paid for this. I admittedly forgot to sign any papers or contracts confirming I took the job, but maybe we didn't need to do that here. I sure hope so. I need to fix my clothes.

"Hey, Roland!"

The one and only Kazuma called out to me, Megumin riding on his back and Aqua following close behind.

"Hey. You're all alive! That's good to know. Darkness is over there, if you're curious. Alive, much unlike some of the other adventurers."

He sighed in relief.

"That's good, we were just about to check up on her. Can I leave Megumin with you for a while?"

"Ah, sure. I don't really know where to pick up my pay, so I'll stay here until everyone else leaves."

He nodded and sat her down against the rock near me. In a haste, he and Aqua ran towards Darkness who was wobbling in the distance.

Looking back at the adventurer's, their focus was all on kicking Beldia's head. No more water was being splashed, but Beldia's body floated still in a new body of water. It was still smoking black haze.

Then, I looked at the massive crater just to their side. It almost felt unreal how big it was. That definitely goes against The Head's regulations, and such a young girl was able to cast it. I'm almost nervous to meet older mages now.

"Admiring my work?"

Megumin asked. Must have noticed me with my mouth agape.

"Yeah. I didn't think I'd see your prided explosion so soon, but you're definitely going up my list of badasses. That was spectacular!"

There was no sarcasm or snarky remark. Every word I uttered was genuine. I can't even confidently say I wouldn't be deaf if the gloves didn't muffle the sound. It really was a work of art.

Maybe those Ring guys had a point.

"Fufu… Ah, to enlighten you with pure poetry… What about it? Interested in changing your class and walking down the path of explosions?!"

"Show me more and I really just might."

If I had access to this back in the City, I could have taken out the Library easily. Maybe I could have even saved Angelica before—

No. She's alive. I can't have room for regrets anymore. The ugliness of the City, its cruelty. They're gone. They can't affect me anymore.

This was a world where children could run freely without guidance. A world where the average adventurer like Megumin had the power to ruffle a Wing. A world without a Head overseeing it all.

In a world so free, I can't have any more regrets. Her explosion made me finally accept that.

A power that could even bring color to T Corp. This world and its people are colorful. Even against Beldia, I could sense hostility, but never pure evil or malice.

Given all of that, why should I be the black stain that muddies this canvas?

She didn't unleash an attack of pure destruction. It was not supposed to show me death and it never did.

She unleashed her raw emotions. Pure positive emotions, surpassing the negativity we felt in the Library's Receptions. She showed me her true feelings and passion.

She showed me things that I lost, and now can regain.

"Hey."

I spoke again.

"Hm?"

"I can't learn explosions because of my class and all, but could you teach me about this explosion romance?"

Her eyes shined.

"Yes, yes! Join Kazuma and I on our daily walks, and I will show you! Why explosions are the peak of all!"

A walk with a teenager with his future still ahead of him and a mage that has found true happiness in her work. Things that I'd like to experience again.

"I'd like that."

Part 3

"T-thanks."

Darkness accepted my hand and I pulled her to her feet.

"Was he that strong? Even if you're lower level, I'm surprised you were almost knocked out, especially since you blocked it."

She sighed while Aqua skipped away to heal other injured adventurers.

"I, yes, he was… I wanted to get beaten at least ten times under his towering muscles, but I was defeated by a single blow…"

"Uh-huh."

"Even last week, I knew he was strong. I could feel my bones tremble at his might."

"From fear or from your urges?"

"Whatever do you mean!? As a crusader, it is only my duty to judge an opponent so I can protect everyone better!"

"Right. So, go on about muscles and boning."

"N-no! Even I like having normal conversations sometimes!"

She hid her face with her hands before continuing.

"It's just that the Demon King's General, he felt like he got stronger. Of course, we unfortunately didn't fight him last week, but he feels more dangerous now than before."

I can hear you whisper 'unfortunately'.

"How so? He didn't feel any different to me."

"I… can't explain well. His aura is already amaz— terrifying, but it got stronger the longer he fought."

Adrenaline? I doubt undead beings can experience that, though.

"Might just be the thrill of the battle," I paused to look back at Beldia's head still getting kicked around. "He's not getting any now, that's for sure."

She sheathed her sword and sighed. "And I'm not, either."

"That's a good thing," I deadpanned. "Let's go back. I bet we'll get rich from this!"

And then the mass of an adventurer crashed into Darkness, knocking both of them prone.

"Woah! Darkness?!"

She slowly pushed over the adventurer in full plate armor off of her, coughing.

"Ah! Such a vicious attack, coming for an unsuspecting—!"

"Shut up about that! Are you fine? And that guy is unconscious!"

He was clearly thrown here by something with the way he hit Darkness, face first and almost completely horizontal.

Against my better judgement, I looked to where the adventurers of Axel should be, kicking around Beldia's head and having a good time.

Instead, I see many of them on the ground, some unmoving and others crawling. The ones still standing do their best to run away or drag their fallen comrades, moving inch by inch.

Swords and spears pierced the wet soil. Headless helmets scattered the ground. They and the beaten fighters formed a circle around the obvious source of it all. How they got this way in the two minutes I looked away is beyond me.

But it's obvious that something went awry.

The headless knight's body stood in the center of it all, sword in hand and head floating in the sky.

"Fools!" he bellowed. "You had me defeated, yet in your baseless bravado, you just had to kick me to the stars! I can see you all from up there!"

He raised his sword and pointed it right at me. Judging from the small, pure dark flame on the tip of his blade, he wasn't very happy. That, and everything else about him.

"And you, with your petty water and clever tricks! Don't think I was blinded by my battle! I know you were the one spearheading these cowards!"

I'm doomed.

"I've had enough of all this! All of you damned beginners!"

The black flame roared in an instant, now coating his whole blade and spewing from the exposed rotting flesh in his equally rotting armor.

His head, like a curse from the heavens, descended and landed on his neck. In that same instant, more fire erupted and formed what looked like a fur cape over his shoulders, just a lot more badass.

And dangerous! Why is he getting a power-up?! Could he always do this!? This is bad!

Megumin already used her explosion, most of the adventurers are beaten, Darkness can't do anything, I'm getting tired and surely Roland is too!

Slowly—no, deliberately, he took slow steps towards me, this new heat following him.

"Once I'm done with you, that crusader and battle master are next. I will crush their bones in a fair, honorable duel! Unlike the dirty tricks you used like a thief!"

You were summoning an army against beginners!

Darkness, as if sensing my distress, put her hand on my shoulder and stepped forward, facing the Dullahan.

"As a crusader, I cannot let you harm my comrade."

She draws her sword and faces down the approaching oblivion.

"H-hey, don't be rash! There's no way you can match that guy!"

"It doesn't matter if I can't, Kazuma. What matters is that I uphold my duty of protecting the defenseless!"

Why do you choose to act cool now?!

Beldia laughed, but not from amusement or to belittle her. "This! My final battle against a sword of the heavens! This is what was meant to be!"

'Battle' my ass, you'd kill her in a single hit!

"Aqua! Help us!" I yelled out as I extended my hand forward. "Create Water!"

I did my best to shoot him, hoping to at least slow him down while I ran away.

All of my hope was lost when the water evaporated upon touching his body.

"That won't work anymore, adventurer."

Where's Aqua? A Turn Undead should at least stun him!

"Beldia."

That voice, Roland?!

There he was, striding along with Megumin in his arms, right for me.

"Warrior Roland," the General responded in kind, stopping just a few meters away from us. "We may resume our battle in just one minute."

He turned his now-attached head back at me. "I have a rat to exterminate first!"

"Not until my last breath!" Darkness defiantly butted in.

"And not until mine," Roland calmly added. He handed over Megumin to me, who remained silent throughout the whole ordeal. He then whispered:

"Listen, this guy, he's either distorting, getting an EGO. I can feel the Light. It's faint, really faint, but it's there."

He paused as I carried Megumin on my back and he brought out his gloves, not yet wearing them.

"Either way, we're all going to die, so I want to make sure at least you and the wizard survive. Run away, got it?"

Even he's giving up all hope!

"What are any of those things? Light? EGO?" The panic in my voice was evident.

He only had a single word in response.

"Death."

He stared down Beldia, his face focused entirely on his foe. He added:

"I'll explain more if I don't die. Without the Light or my limbs, though, don't have too much hope."

The said foe readied his own sword.

"Hmph. A two on one? Very well."

"This is the part where you run and hope we stall him long enough." His eyes darted to Darkness. "You're kind of weird, but you're brave. Reminds me of my Assistants in a way. I'll trust you, Darkness!"

"Yes!" she acknowledged briefly.

They're really suicidal! And where's Aqua?!

Part 4

What am I doing?

Really, what possessed me to face off against this guy? I could have finished him off earlier, but now with this pseudo-EGO?

I still have the option of running away. Let Darkness distract him and hope my legs can carry me far. Nobody will blame me, this is a high-ranking enemy.

I'm an adventurer and it would give me a big boost, but fighting Beldia is not my priority here. Get popular, get connections, ask about Angelica, find Angelica. There's no 'die to a Demon King's General' in that.

Maybe I'm just so tired of Philip running away that I don't want to emulate him in any capacity.

Whatever. I've already decided. Might as well get on with it.

Beldia's foot sinks into the ground as he lunges right for us, starting the end of this long reception.

"Alright, let's do this!"

I put on the gloves as Darkness and I jump in opposite directions, dodging his wide sweep. Black fire stays in the air seconds after the attack. Reminds me of Xiao, in a bad way.

His head swiftly swivels at Darkness and he rushes at her before she could even land. Unable to dodge, she raises her sword to block the overhead slash, the sheer force behind it forcing her to the ground and bending her knees.

The important part, however, is that she was successful in preventing death. With his back facing me, I took out the Wheels Industry Greatsword and sent it hurling right at him.

Like he still had his head in the skies watching over the battlefield, he effortlessly blocked it and turned his body, kicking me right in the side.

That hurt!

I disengage and keep my distance as he focuses his assault on me instead. I dodge his first slash, but before my feet could land, he thrusts again.

With no option to volt, I deflect it and attempt a counterattack, only to get yet another kick to my chest. Not letting up, he follows with more slashes that I can barely react to.

Sparks fly from the few attacks I could block, flames scorch the air from the fewer attacks I evaded, and blood spews from the many I couldn't.

Only light cuts around my arms and torso, but each one felt like a storm of fire scalding my skin.

The crusader, having recovered, tried to jab at his neck, but with a parry and a swing, Beldia shattered her armor, leaving her in torn black long sleeves.

Crystal Atelier in hand, I hoped that the speed would at least let me get a few hits in, but he weaved past my swings and thrusts like I was Tiphereth and seared my back with a vertical slice.

I tried my best to ignore the pain and continue my assault, but not a single attack got through. Even with Darkness joining me, his sword danced around ours, deflecting them away.

Crystal Atelier, Old Boys, Mook Workshop—no matter what I tried to use, I was too slow and too weak to wield them effectively. I could never, not without proper arms. Not without the Light.

Two whole minutes of relentless onslaughts, but neither she nor I even grazed him.

A simultaneous attack, yet somehow he twisted his body to block both at once. A barrage aimed at his legs and head, he leaped in the air and evaded them with ease. Another assault, more wasted energy. Another swing, more damage not dealt.

We were hopelessly outmatched.

"Gah!"

Darkness gasped as a final strike to her chest finally forced her to tumble and fall.

I blurted out by instinct:

"Poor fella. You fought with all your might."

"And so did you."

Beldia's last words to me as the pain finally conquered my senses and I fell to my knees.

At least the other Librarians can finish him off, right? Yeah, definitely. I was using a poor deck. My Assistant Librarians were too busy chatting with Chesed. They can finish him off.

I'll die here but Angela will just bring me back once it's all over. That's how it always went.

…

Ha. Did I get so attached to that place? It was only a few months, not even a year. To get attached to them, having a drink every now and then, showing them meals from the City, having real conversations.

Catching up Gebura with the current affairs of the City. Lazing about with various Assistant Librarians from every Floor with Chesed, musing about coffee and just relaxing. Often we'd all just sit there quietly, listening to him talk about various brews and analogies about the City.

Even just getting drunk with Netzach, complaining about everything. From our past lives to our then-current lives as Librarians. Being a coward with Hod, joining her and her book club on the odd chance I felt like it. I never added much, but they were happy to welcome me.

Talking with Malkuth. Talking with Yesod. Tiphereth. Binah, to a much lesser extent.

Even Angela. Especially Angela. Bickering with her, trying to annoy her and getting shut down in response. Was I really having fun? It was just a facade, though. Right? All of that.

And now they're gone.

Did I ever really deserve that? Another group to call as my friends?

Did I truly enjoy my time there? I was lying to them. I was just keeping up a mask, biding my time until Angela turned human. Yet in the months following her and the Librarian's death, I felt emptier than when the Pianist attacked.

…

I rose. Through this scorching lava in my veins, I stood on my foot, and then on the other.

Every second I spent in the Library. I remember every single moment of it.

I engraved all of them into my eyes.

I stared up at the Dullahan, his sword raised high, about to end me once and for all.

The emotions I felt, so trivial to others, but so much more than I deserved.

And I threw it all away.

I engraved all of them.

The shards of camaraderie and happiness I felt in that place.

And the luna of sorrow I felt after.

I raised my gloved hand, palm open, ready to catch that blade. It would cut right through. Right into my head.

But I kept it there, waiting.

In the memory of sorrow, rings of moonlight wrapped around my hand.

Everything was slow. I could perceive each inch the sword travelled from the sky to my palm.

Like a falling leaf landing on water, it touched my palm calmly. Gently.

And then it shattered.

"What?!"

I couldn't hear him. Or maybe I did. I just didn't care enough to raise a brow.

I took a step forward and raised my other hand, reaching out to Beldia's chest. Ignoring the searing sensation of white-hot black flames, those same rings wrapped around my arm.

One ring. Two rings. Three rings. More, ever growing in size. They reached my elbow. My bicep. My shoulder.

It was a moon giving hope in the darkest depths of the sea. With such lightness that it made no sound, my palm sorrowfully landed on the plate of the General.

He screamed.

In this gesture of what should be intimacy, the moonlit arm crushed and pierced his armor and miserable form.

It was not my intention of force. I had no more. It was not hate. I had it only for myself. It was not the blood pressure. I was calm. It was not the contraction of muscles. They were at ease.

The only thing that moved was the wind and my sorrow.

Part 5

Damn that delinquent adventurer to an eternity in heaven! I was offering millions—millions, and he still denied! This is the best sword the blacksmith had to offer, pure white steel engraved with gold, but it was nowhere near as strong as the Cursed Sword Gram!

I reached the city gates, leaving my companions behind to chase after me.

I was only still.

"What…?"

A massacre.

I was too late.

So many adventurers unmoving, barely a dozen limping away. Away from the behemoth in black steel and darkfire. The monster that did all this.

The only one left standing was a man in a torn business suit, arm raised high, fruitlessly trying to block the blade coming to decapitate him.

"Wait!"

Without Gram, my legs could only run so fast. Even at level thirty-seven, it was not fast enough to save the man from certain death.

Damn it! All because of that Satou Kazuma, I have to watch another man die—

Huh?

The six-foot long greatsword shattered into a million pieces, reflecting the moonlight coming from the suited man. The General took one step back and the man took one step forward. Serenely, like he was not facing the strongest being presently in Axel.

With his right arm, he reached forward and in an instant, glowing rings of light manifested around them. Two, five, eight, eleven, fifteen… So many and so great.

They were so beautiful. His glowing arm touched the headless brute so calmly, yet the shockwave that followed was powerful. From his back, gusts of wind akin to a hurricane blasted, blowing away the rocks and debris behind them as a hole the size of a small boulder formed on his body.

In one, single hit, the Demon King's General was felled.

T-to think there were people other than me capable of such a feat!

"Now, Aqua!" a dreadfully familiar voice called out from a distance.

"Right! Sacred Turn Undead!"

Lady Aqua!

As expected of Her Radiance, the fallen General brightened into a light not too dissimilar from the suit's. Even without Gram, I can see with my trained and experienced eyes that he was not getting back up again, but of course Lady Aqua would understand that it's better to be safe than sorry.

Into the light of the heavens, the body of the undead beast disappeared. A truly wonderful showcase of Her infinite power and mercy, allowing such a foul creature a final rest.

Yet my eyes only stick to the plain-looking but clearly powerful man ahead of me. That suit, another reincarnator? What would a businessman be doing here? Still, I cannot deny that he wields a power that could rival mine—or, at least when I get Gram back.

I must inform the King of Belzerg about this. An unprecedented appearance such as this is just as great a worry as it is relief.

Especially those rings of light. That could only be his Cheat of choice. As the chosen hero to save this world, those rings will either aid me in my righteous crusade in Her name, or become my greatest roadblock if he would ever give in and join the Demon King.

If even Satou Kazuma can get me with his tricks, I must act warily against this even stronger man.

The former has already swayed Lady Aqua to her side and I must not let Her perception of me sink lower! Satou Kazuma, Her punching and berating me, and this newcomer—these are all simply tests.

She wants to see my resilience. She wants to see how I deal with these new obstacles, especially with the recent monster attacks in major cities. All of them appearing in such a short time is a sign it's only a trial.

I will overcome them and prove my faith and worth.

For now, I'll ask for the new one's name. Asking him to join my party would be a sign of weakness, and I can't show Her that.

Just you wait, Lady Aqua.

I will save this world.

…

…

After bartering with that blond delinquent for Gram.