We hurried into the depths of the ruins. Ruti had not explored this deep, but the
defensive clockwork golems weren't functioning, and there was nothing to get in our
way. The corridors were filled with an eerie silence.
"H-hey, little missy," Godwin called out to Tisse pathetically. She spared him just a
single glance. "I'm just gonna get in y'all's way, right? Wouldn't it be better I went
outside to wait?"
"And you'd have me wait out there with you?"
"I mean, it's not like I can defend myself… I'm beggin' ya here. I can't see myself
surviving if I stick around with you guys."
"There isn't any place safer than with us," Tisse declared flatly.
Godwin slumped in disappointment, but he obediently followed, not showing any sign
of trying to run off into the ruins by himself.
Finally, we reached a vast hall of some sort. Magical lanterns were hanging from the
ceiling, and three elevators stood ready to carry passengers deeper underground. At
one point, a sign hung above them, but there was evidence that it had been forcibly
torn away.
The tables and chairs around the hall had all been destroyed, as if a fit of rage had
struck the wood elves who had made it this far. Ancient elven furniture was
extraordinarily sturdy, so it wouldn't break without the use of magic or skills. I guess
the appliances must have really bothered them. Perhaps they'd seen something here
that set them off?
A clank issued from one of the elevators. A force field was engaged as ancient elf magic
from time immemorial activated, accompanied by the sound of an elevator sliding up
toward us.
"Shisandan." I started to draw my bronze sword, but before I could, a gleaming silver
longsword appeared in front of me. Ruti was holding out my trusted old sword,
Thunderwaker.
"You held on to it? I was sure you would have sold it."
"I would never do that. It's your sword."
I was a bit hesitant to take the weapon. It was a symbol of my time with the Hero's
party, totally at odds with how I was currently living my life. Still, I grasped its hilt
firmly. If Rit was ready to return to adventuring one last time to get her revenge, then
I could go back to being Gideon for a bit, too.
"Thank you." I kept my words of gratitude short and performed a single practice swing
to reaffirm my feel for Thunderwaker. It was entirely different from the bronze sword
I used in Zoltan. The Weapon Proficiency: Longsword skill that remained dormant
whenever I wielded my bronze sword activated again, and I could feel myself
becoming one with the sword. "All right."
The elevator would soon arrive. There was another clank as the brakes engaged, and
a single solid door slid open. What appeared was a man in armor with a shotel at his
waist.
"It's been so long, my cute little disciple."
It was Gaius, the head of the royal guard in Loggervia and Rit's master.
"Shisandaaaaaan!!!"
Rit rushed forward with both shotels drawn.
"Wait! Something's off!"
Ruti's warning was too late, though. Rit was already swinging one of her swords at the
figure standing in the elevator.
"?!"
The Gaius standing in the elevator didn't so much as twitch as Rit charged. Her blades
caught nothing but empty air.
"An illusory decoy! His real body is…"
Shisandan was invisible, standing behind Rit as he drove a sword toward her back.
Surprisingly, Rit was smirking. If she knew an attack coming from behind, it didn't
matter whether she could see her enemy or not. Just the sensation of menace in the
air was enough for Rit to catch Shisandan's blade with the shotel in her right hand.
"I figured you would try that. There's no way I'd fall for such obvious provocation." Rit
was still the same skilled fighter she had been during her adventuring days. Her left
shotel sped toward Shisandan's legs.
"Red!"
"Got it!"
I brought my sword to bear on the Asura demon from behind. I'd realized Rit's plan as
soon as she'd started running, and I had moved closer so that I could strike Shisandan
when the moment was right. We didn't need words. I could understand what she was
thinking.
Shisandan's invisibility ended when my blade met one of his, revealing the imposing
figure of the Asura demon's true form. His legs were spread as he blocked Rit's strike
as well.
"Tch." Shisandan made a displeased sound.
"What now, Asura demon? You set a trap for Rit, but only got yourself flanked," I said
"Then I guess it can't be helped! Heartstone! Unleash all your magic power!"
A torrent of water sprang up all around us.
"An undine's magic?!"
Rit and I were knocked back by the water. Thankfully, I controlled my landing with a
roll and immediately sprang back to my feet. Rit was knocked into one of the elevators,
but she was quickly back in a fighting stance, too.
Shisandan took a breath to regain his composure.
Just a little bit more, and our swords would have reached him. However, his desperate
maneuver should have exhausted all the power in the magic item he'd used. Plus, he
was still caught between the two of us. We still had the advantage.
Still though, are those wood elf swords? Seems odd for a demon to use such things. And
those four still in the sheaths at his waist are bothering me.
Rit and I both kicked off the ground, unleashing another attack. However, no sooner
had we done so than an uncomfortable premonition struck me.
"Magic?!"
I hastily switched to a defensive stance.
"Paralyzing Flame!"
One of the facades in the room disappeared, revealing a wall just behind it.
Creating a hidden space by casting an illusionary wall right in front of the true one, huh?
Poisonous flames erupted from the ground, racing toward Rit and me. The spell could
stun you on contact. Neither Rit nor I had any resistance to paralysis. Rit could try to
fight it using her spirit magic, and I could tough it out and resist because of my
blessing's high level, but that would only work if the enemy was at a similar level. It
turned out our new opponent was the pinnacle of human mages; his magic would be
nigh impossible to resist.
"Ares!"
The one who had loosed the spell was none other than Ares the Sage. At his waist was
another one of the swords that Shisandan kept at his, for a total of five.
Has he lost his mind and joined up with a demon?!
"Die, Gideon!"
The flames drew closer, but a radiant white shell of light surrounded us.
"Sacred Magic Shield." Ruti cast a spell with her left hand. Trained through thousands
of battles with the demon lord's forces, she had anticipated the possibility of Ares
betraying us and had remained where she was standing, at the ready. "This is your last
chance, Ares. Surrender now, and I can still let you walk away," she cautioned.
"There is still time, Ruti. Please just say that you will continue the Hero's journey
together with me," Ares replied, seemingly oblivious to her statement.
Both quickly began to work new spells.
"Gargantuan Storm Javelin!"
"Sacred Punisher."
A tempestuous black javelin and lightning that brought divine judgment took shape.
The Sage and the Hero's greatest spells clashed, and the aftermath was enough that
Shisandan, Rit, and I all had to stop fighting for a moment. The tremendous impact
was enough to send cracks through the floor, walls, and ceiling.
"So we're equal in magic," Ruti murmured.
Neither spell overcame the other. Both dispersed at the same time.
It was hard to say whether Ares deserved praise for matching the Hero or if I should
be dumbfounded that Ruti, a frontline fighter, could use magic on par with a Sage.
If there were more people like Ruti around, mages would be entirely worthless.
This was a battle between two who had surpassed what normal humans could.
"L-leave me the hell out of thiiiiiiiiis!!!" Godwin started running, a look of terror on his
face. "I don't have any dog in this fight! Heroes should just stick to fighting one another
and not trouble themselves with me!"
Someone like Godwin could easily get blown away as collateral damage in this fight.
He had finally had enough and started sprinting for the exit in a panic.
"Wait! Don't run!" I frantically called out to him, but there was no reasoning with him
in such a state.
"Arise, great fangs and grand wings! Come, lord of beasts! Summon Spirit Drake!" Ares
smirked as he activated his magic. Just when Godwin was about to escape the room,
magic power swirled right before him, forming an enormous figure.
"Eek?!" The man fell backward and shrieked as a green-scaled creature took shape in
front of him. The spirit drake Ares had summoned opened its toothy jaws and began
to approach Godwin.
Not good. If I tried to help, however, Rit would be pinned down by Shisandan! I was
stuck!
"Gyaaaaagh?!"
Thankfully, Godwin did not end up becoming fodder for the drake. A throwing knife
pierced the beast's right eye and caused it to recoil and screech in pain.
"As I said, the safest place you can be is at our side, so please just behave yourself."
Tisse had thrown the dagger. Her expression was unchanged as she stood between
Godwin and the drake.
"A-are you sure?! You realize that's a freaking drake, right?!" Godwin asked nervously.
Perhaps the sight of such a small girl opposing the large creature left Godwin feeling
doubtful. Even I had to admit, when one considered scale alone, Tisse seemed the clear
loser.
"Indeed, my blessing is not well suited to this sort of situation," admitted Tisse.
"Th-then—!" Godwin stammered.
"It will take me a full minute."
Naturally, there was no way that Tisse would lose to a spirit drake. The only hang-up
was that, excluding Godwin, she would be the slowest to defeat it one-on-one. The
Assassin blessing had many skills for seizing upon advantageous situations. Fighting
while guarding another was not one of its specialties. Even so, Tisse was far stronger
than the highest-tier spirit beast.
There was a powerful confidence in her words, leaving Godwin speechless as he
watched Tisse in awe from his seat on the ground.
So far it's going according to plan…!
Ruti was alone now, just as Ares wanted. With her comrades distracted, she was facing
off against Ares by herself.
The feeling of Ruti's hostility focused solely on him was like an icy dagger in the heart.
Yet at the same time, he felt an odd sense of exaltation.
Ruti hasn't made any real moves yet. She wants to protect that Alchemist, but now he
and Tisse have moved toward the exit. With them spread out like this, it will be difficult
for her to guard everyone from my magic. In which case, she should charge in with her
sword. She obviously knows I could use a spell on Gideon before she gets in close. But if I
did that, I wouldn't be able to protect myself, and she will assume that I want to keep
myself safe.
Ares's right hand touched the Sacred Avenger.
But that is actually what I want. If Shisandan is to be believed, if I draw this sword and
it touches her body, the Hero blessing will be enhanced. Then she should realize that
working together with me is the most effective way of achieving her destiny and will
become a nonfactor in this battle. If Ruti is the Hero, then it will be impossible for her to
turn against me!
So long as Ruti didn't intervene, the rest were little more than annoyances. If it had
been Danan, Theodora, and Yarandrala, Ares would have been warier, but he was
facing the dropouts Gideon and Rit and the placeholder Tisse. Ares was sure of his
victory.
Rit and I were attacking Shisandan from both sides.
He's stronger than the last time we fought.
Even though we had the advantage of flanking him, once he was able to steady himself,
he managed to continue deflecting our combined barrage. The demon was not the sort
of opponent who would go down quickly, but we couldn't afford to be taking our time,
either.
I was worried about Ruti. She was facing off against Ares alone. Normally, Ares would
have no hope of winning, but none understood that better than him. Undoubtedly, he
had some sort of plan.
"What are those swords you and Ares are carrying, Shisandan?" I demanded.
"Oh? I should have expected as much from you, Gideon. Worried, are you?" Shisandan
seemed genuinely impressed. "You'll find out soon enough," he appended with a grin.
The next instant, everyone in the room felt the chill of death approaching. We forgot
our respective battles for a split second and instinctively looked over at Ruti.
"Martial Art: Great Whirlwind."
Using the tremendous strength of her blessing, Ruti swung her sword with great force
and speed in a spinning slash. A shock wave raced, leaving deep gouges in the walls.
Perhaps because of the Hero's strength, the cut she loosed did not have any effect on
us, but her enemies were consumed in a whirlwind of strikes.
"E-eeeeeeep!" Godwin screamed as the spirit drake's head was severed and rolled
toward him before disappearing in a burst of light.
"To think she had grown so strong," Shisandan exclaimed.
All six of the elven blades he had used to defend himself shattered, and his lower two
arms were hanging limply, drenched in blood.
"Agh, ahhh…"
Ares had managed to escape uninjured. From the looks of it, he had hurriedly
defended himself with the sword at his waist. However, the weapon had been
shattered into pieces, leaving just a broken hilt in his hand.
"Th-that's impossible." Ares's voice was quivering.
Was that blade his trump card for dealing with Ruti? I wondered.
Up until that, Shisandan had remained composed throughout our exchange, but now
his expression was tense. After taking a short breath, though, the demon's placid look
returned.
"Ares, I'll deal with Ruti. You keep going."
"Huh? Ah. Right."
"I hadn't counted on her breaking the sword, but I had expected you to fail. It will be
fine." Shisandan stomped his foot down with a thud.
"What's this? Not looking so hot now, are you, Shisandan?" This time, I was provoking
him. It would be nice if he would let that take him out of his groove, but there was no
way he would be that easy an opponent.
"Indeed, I have to admit that your sister is a truly dangerous being. All the more reason
though that she cannot be allowed to become anything other than the Hero."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Shisandan and I stared each other down.
"Watch out!" Tisse shouted. "Something is coming from below!"
"Below?! Not good! Rit! Run!"
"Huh?"
I was about to dash over to Rit, but Shisandan stood in my way.
"Out of my way!" I swung Thunderwaker down at the demon standing there with two
wounded arms and all his swords broken. Unfortunately, he met my slash with a
radiant longsword he drew from one of the scabbards at his hip.
"Wha—?! The Holy Demon Slayer?!"
For an instant, my attention was drawn to his sword. It was no more than a fraction of
a second, but that moment of lost time was irreplaceable.
The floor of the elevator Rit was in burst upward.
"A second spirit drake?!"
A spirit drake wearing full-body armor had burst into the cramped elevator, mouth
wide as it menaced Rit. Off-balance, Rit kicked against the wall, forcing herself to
remain standing as she slashed the drake's face with her shotel.
Even in such a situation, Rit should have been able to fight off the drake. When she
saw its rider, however, she went stiff.
"Y-you?!"
"Holy Chains."
"Wha—?! Nrgh?!"
Rit's body was bound by radiant metal links. It was an extraordinarily powerful
clerical art that not even Rit could escape.
"Theodora?! Why?!"
The woman atop the spirit drake ignored Rit's cry and leaped out of the shaft, her
spear at the ready. Sensing this new trouble, Ruti dashed to the elevator. Theodora's
spear and Ruti's blade clashed, and the two of them came to a stop.
"Why?" Ruti asked. She seemed unable to believe what she was seeing.
"For the sake of this world. Hate me if you will. I will slit my stomach in atonement
when this is done. But right now, your sacrifice is necessary for this world!"
Ruti hesitated at the words. Though she was superior in strength, Theodora was still
managing to hold her back.
"Why me? Why must I be sacrificed for the world?"
"Because you are the Hero."
"I never asked to be! Countless other people dream of becoming a hero and saving the
world! So why does it have to be me?!" Ruti steeled herself, ducking beneath
Theodora's swipe and stepping firmly in toward the Crusader with a thrust aimed at
her armored torso. Ruti's attacks were mighty enough to pierce dragon scales, but
Theodora twisted her body and dexterously avoided a direct hit. There was a metallic
screech from her armor as Ruti's sword scraped past.
Just like Danan, Theodora was a master of her style. There were not many people on
the continent capable of evading Ruti while wearing armor.
"If you don't fight, an untold number of people will die." Theodora drew her polearm
back. Short blades adorned each side of the spearhead, and Theodora was using them
to aim for Ruti's back. Ruti ducked and, without even looking, knocked the incoming
slash aside using the armored gauntlet encasing her hand.
"What?!"
It was an absurd defense that did not exist in any standard style of swordsmanship.
Only one with superhuman physical abilities could pull it off. Even Theodora could not
react to such an unpredictable maneuver. Her stance broke from the excess
momentum of swinging her spear. Using that opening, Ruti moved out of range.
"Why do I have to sacrifice myself to save the lives of countless people I've never even
met before?"
"Because that is God's will."
Both of their voices were wrung out and strained.
The Hero would have had no trouble with suffering for others, but Ruti was the one
fighting now. She far outclassed Theodora. The only reason they were fighting on
remotely even terms was that Theodora's words had dulled Ruti's prowess.
"Dammit!"
I wanted to dash over to Ruti in order to take her place fighting Theodora. It pained
me not to stand in front of my sister and shield her from the woman's biting words,
but…
"Rit!"
Rit was still in the elevator, bound by Theodora's magic and grasped by the spirit
drake's claws.
"Heh-heh-heh, two people to be saved—your lover and your little sister. It must be
difficult to decide, Gideon."
Shisandan's tusked mouth warped in laughter. The Asura demon was still staring me
down. If I turned my back and rushed to Ruti, Shisandan would easily finish off Rit,
and if I wanted to save Rit, I would have to get past him. Despite possessing no
blessing, Shisandan was strong. Even fighting together with Rit, we hadn't managed to
get through his defenses.
I unleashed a storm of feints and slashes, but he easily parried my blade with the holy
sword he was wielding. Strong didn't begin to describe this creature. While two of his
arms were disabled, something had changed the moment he'd drawn one of those four
blades. The aura around him had swelled, and now he seemed entirely different.
I had no clue whether what he held was a real Holy Demon Slayer, but there was no
doubt it was an exceptional magical sword. If I met it head on with Thunderwaker, my
weapon wouldn't come out unscathed.
While I was struggling, I glanced over at Theodora.
"This is reality. Sir Gideon is one of the finest swordsmen in the world, but without the
Hero, even he is unable to save his love. Humanity needs you to fulfill your destiny."
Ruti's expression was racked with pain.
Goddammit! My jaw went tight.
I was on the verge of losing myself in rage at the thought that my struggles were
making Ruti suffer.
Yet just as I was about to snap, there came a thunderous slam from the elevator. Still
bound by Theodora's chains, Rit had kicked the spirit drake's head back into the wall.
"Who asked you?" Rit cried, leveling a seething gaze straight at Theodora. "What gives
you the right to put my life in the hands of the Hero?!" She was furious. Vehemently,
ferociously enraged.
Still staggered, the drake tried to clamp down on Rit again, but she kicked its head
straight up. The beast's head slammed into the ceiling before slumping back down.
The elevator floor had been left in poor shape after the spirit drake had crashed
through, and there was hardly any sound footing. With her arms bound, Rit could not
use her swords or magic. That hardly seemed to matter to Rit, however, as she turned
to stare Theodora down.
"But it was the Hero who saved your homeland, was it not? Are you not proof yourself
that the Hero is necessary to save the world?" countered Theodora.
"You're wrong!"
"How?"
"It wasn't the Hero or the Guide or a Crusader who saved Loggervia or me." Rit struck
the drake's head a third time with her foot. Broken teeth went flying. "It was Ruti, Red,
and you, Theodora! You're the ones who rescued us!"
"…A distinction without difference."
"It's not the same at all! A hero isn't some class of blessing. It's how we describe
people! Loggervia wasn't saved by the mere presence of a blessing! It was because
you—all of you—urged us to stand back up. That was what delivered Loggervia from
evil! I thought you at least would understand that much, even if Ares can't!"
"I am merely a servant of Almighty Demis… What other choice do I have?!" demanded
Theodora.
"Anyone who would force another to bear the fate of the world against their will is
wrong, and if that's really the will of God, then God's wrong, too, and I'll say it to his
face if I have to!" Rit screamed.
Both Ruti and Theodora froze in shock at that.
"Fascinating. Humans truly are fascinating," Shisandan murmured as he locked swords
with me. "That's it precisely. A hero is not merely born. Only those who strive to be a
hero are worthy of the title. And yet God, in his foolishness, cannot even comprehend
that much."
"What…?" I managed through clenched teeth. Strangely, it felt like Shisandan was
expressing genuine admiration for Rit's statement.
"Alas, though, we are enemies." The Asura demon lifted a leg.
"Rit! Look out!"
Shisandan dexterously kicked a fragment of one of the elven swords lying on the
ground at her. It was a precise shot, stabbing straight into her left thigh.
"Argh!"
Crimson liquid seeped down her leg and stained the ground.
"Finish her, creature!" Shisandan commanded.
The spirit drake's mouth bore down on Rit from above. Her arms were bound, and her
leg was wounded. Seeing that, I finally snapped.
"Rit!!!" I abandoned all defense, loosing an attack with every bit of my power, but
Shisandan just slipped aside, yielding the path to Rit without a clash. Cold sweat
poured down my back.
A trap?!
I had been lured in. I was playing into Shisandan's hands now. Still, I didn't care.
"Thunderwaker! Pierce my foe!"
I dove into the elevator as I thrust my sword, stabbing straight through the spirit
drake's neck and up through its head. Immediately, the beast went limp. No longer
able to maintain itself in this realm, its body faded away.
I grabbed Rit and was about to leap back out when I saw Ares grinning victoriously.
Tisse hurled two knives to interrupt his magic, but he guarded his face with his left
arm, content to let the daggers hit his limb. There was a spray of blood, but the thrill
of his triumph seemed to keep him from noticing any pain.
"This is it! Iron Wall!"
The roof of the elevator Rit and I were in began to creak. Ares had conjured an
enormous lump of metal on top of our elevator. The sound I heard was that of the
tether giving way under a load far beyond anything it could support.
"Run, Red!" Rit screamed.
My Lightning Speed meant that I could get out in time on my own. That would mean
letting go of Rit, though…
Maybe that would have been the right thing to do. Us both plummeting wouldn't help
anyone. I wondered if I would've been able to make the optimal choice back when I
was still Gideon.
"Sorry, Rit."
But I wasn't Gideon anymore. I was Red. Taking up Thunderwaker again hadn't
changed that. Even knowing I wouldn't make it, I wasn't going to let go of Rit.
"Big Brother!!!"
Whatever hesitation had been holding Ruti back vanished in an instant. Theodora's
spear was suddenly cleaved in two. Whirling gracefully, Ruti stepped into a lunge,
thrusting her sword through Theodora's armor.
"As expected of the Hero… This is why I…"
Theodora, one of humanity's greatest practitioners of clerical arts and a true master
of the spear, fell to the ground. She had only held Ruti back a short while, but it had
been decisive.
Before Ruti could reach it, the elevator gave way, and Rit and I were dropped into the
dark.
"I finally win! At last, Gideon loses!" Ares shouted jubilantly.