Years ago, during a war with the demons on the eastern front
"Squad Vice Captain Gladius, according to the information we've received, one of the demons from the Seven Deadly Sins has personally come to our front."
The man said this and leaned forward, stepping out of the war tent. He was deep in thought about the situation; he was currently the highest-ranking officer on the battlefield, but any of the 7 Deadly Sins demons were at least 100 times stronger than he was. As Gladius sank into these dark thoughts, he suddenly felt a tremor and drew his long red sword, rushing out of the tent. In front of him, he saw his unit fighting a small group of demons. His unit was holding its ground well, but his eyes were drawn to the back of the battlefield, where a demon wielding two long, crescent-tipped chains in both hands was slaughtering anyone who approached with great delight, giving the humans no chance to breathe.
Gladius immediately started running toward the demon. The demon, with an overly cheerful grin on her face, suddenly turned to Gladius and swung her chains at him from both sides. Gladius ducked quickly to avoid the chain on the left and struck the chain on the right with his sword, causing it to coil around his blade. Realizing this, Gladius yanked his sword back with a sudden burst of power, pulling the demon along with it. The demon let go of the chain, flipped in the air, and landed gracefully. Now, they stood facing each other in the middle of the battlefield. The demon's skin had a light red tint but otherwise resembled that of a human. Her eyes had a peculiar color, a blend between blue and purple. Her horns were short, and at that moment, Gladius realized that the demon before him was female. Though her chest wasn't very prominent, it was somewhat discernible beneath her black and red cloak.
Gladius shook his head from side to side, regaining focus on the battle. He took a deep breath, assumed his stance, and engaged in an intense fight with the demon. The demon and human soldiers watching from the sidelines could barely follow their movements. Gladius's direct and classical fighting style contrasted sharply with the demon's flexible and peculiar chain-wielding technique, creating an unusual but mesmerizing choreography.
As the fight between Gladius and the demon intensified, the demon suddenly pulled back and muttered strange words. Gladius knew what this meant. He immediately switched to a defensive position and focused on adjusting his ki. When the demon finished her long incantation, purple lightning started to crackle around them, emanating from the demon's chains. Each time she swung her chains, more lightning arced out, spreading across the battlefield.
The demon, as if consumed by madness, began swinging her chains wildly while laughing maniacally. The lightning spread everywhere, striking down demons and humans alike, causing severe injuries and death indiscriminately. Faced with this chaos, Gladius straightened his back and shifted his stance. He held one sword in his right hand while drawing a second sword from the sheath on his back. Taking a deep breath, he crossed his swords and assumed a defensive position.
The demon, amused by Gladius's confident posture, bared her sharp teeth in a grin and lunged at him with astounding speed. Gladius stood perfectly still, waiting in deathly silence for the right moment. To the watching soldiers, it seemed as if Gladius had vanished, but in truth, he moved with such incredible speed that in an instant, he severed both of the demon's arms. The demon herself did not immediately grasp what had happened; she only found herself face down on the ground, her severed arms sprawled out beside her.
Gladius, too, collapsed to the ground simultaneously, drained from overexerting his energy. He listened to the screams of the fallen demon with a strange satisfaction. Expecting cheers from his soldiers, he was instead met with silence, broken only by the demon's anguished cries. Then, suddenly, a voice from one of the demon soldiers on the sidelines shouted:
"Lord Greed has comed, we win!"
Gladius managed to turn his head slightly and saw an intensely fast red mass hurtling toward them, leaving a trail of yellow sparks and lightning in its wake. The cheers from the demons echoed across the battlefield. After a few seconds, the demonic cheers began to fade, and Gladius, along with the demons, noticed something else—right behind the red figure, a slightly larger blue mass was chasing it.
The two figures zigzagged through the sky, and then, suddenly, the red figure veered toward the battlefield, landing amidst the yellow lightning crackling around it. Gladius, trembling at the terrifying aura it radiated, only managed to glimpse it for a fraction of a second. All he could make out was the demon's panicked face and broad wings. Without hesitating, the demon leaped back up, using its legs to propel itself skyward.
In those few moments, the blue figure landed hard on the battlefield as well. As it descended, it swung a massive navy-blue sword down from overhead, striking the ground and creating a deep 30-meter fissure that caused the earth to tremble violently, as though caught in a powerful earthquake.
Then, the booming voice of Reagon, one of the Twelve Commanders, resounded across the battlefield:
"STOP RUNNING, YOU COWARD SON OF A BITCH!!!"
With those words, Reagon yanked his sword from the ground, releasing an immense surge of mana that forced every living being around to collapse instantly. The last thing Gladius saw was Reagon leaping after the fleeing demon, leaving a small crater in his wake. The final thought that crossed Gladius' mind before he lost consciousness was whether people like him were truly needed on such a battlefield.
Present Day
Gladius, still excited from recounting his tale, took a moment to catch his breath and then said:
"That's the story, kids. While telling you about Reagon, I ended up sharing a part of my own life. Consider yourselves lucky."
Khazak and Mylia listened intently, their eyes wide and gleaming as they absorbed every detail. When Gladius finished, Khazak stood up and asked:
"Did he really create a 30-meter-long fissure with a single swing of his sword? And you're saying he left a crater just by jumping... T-That's unbelievable!"
Seeing Khazak's growing enthusiasm, Gladius chuckled lightly and replied:
"We're talking about Reagon Dragonsonn, one of the Twelve Commanders with the one of the most destructive power. Of course, it's unbelievable. At that moment, I truly questioned whether we were even needed on that battlefield."
Mylia was also excited, but with a softer voice, she said:
"But you've also defeated an upper-level demon, right? You're incredible too."
In response to this compliment, Gladius crossed his arms in front of him, lifted his head proudly, and said:
"Of course I am. I'm no slouch. Personally, I'm one of the best swordmasters in the kingdom."
After hearing this, Khazak asked:
"You're not that old, and it doesn't look like you have any apprentices. So, why are you living alone in this house in the forest?"
Upon hearing this, Gladius's face took on a nostalgic and somewhat melancholic expression. He replied:
"Let's just say that's something I keep to myself. But you're right about the apprentice part. Look, here's what I'll say, Khazak: You mentioned you'll be training here for a month, right? Why don't I be the one to train you?"
Upon hearing this, Khazak fell silent for a moment, but inside, it felt like an explosion had gone off. First, Reagon Dragonsonn, one of the Twelve Generals, and now Gladius, the former squad vice captain and one of the best swordmasters in the kingdom, was offering to train him. Despite Khazak's outwardly calm appearance, Gladius broke the silence:
"So, you don't want to?"
At this, Khazak quickly shook his head, snapping out of his daze, and with an excited shout, he exclaimed:
"I would love to!!!"