I found myself in the realm of the system, observing Envi as he controlled Naoki's body, locked in fierce combat with Mark, who had transformed into a demon. Yet something felt off about Mark's transformation—it seemed almost forced. This must be another scheme by the Doomspire demons, interfering in the Blackmore territory.
If strange events like this keep happening, could it mean a full-scale demon invasion is coming? Perhaps I should discuss it with the Patriarch later. For now, I needed to focus on the fight in front of me.
"Envi, try attacking from mid-range. Getting too close is risky with that dark aura constantly protecting him. Even William got knocked out trying!" I advised Envi as I analyzed the situation.
Without a word, Envi started circling Mark, readying his skill.
"<Blackmore Katana Style: Kazekiri, three-fold>!"
A flurry of slicing wind blades struck Mark, but they didn't leave so much as a scratch.
"Nao, this isn't working. I'm going to break through his guard!" Envi shouted, declaring his next move.
This time, Envi dashed straight toward Mark, dodging the swings of Mark's massive sword.
"<Blackmore Katana Style: Inazuma!>"
Clang!
Envi's attack was effortlessly deflected by Mark's greatsword.
Mark started swinging wildly, unleashing chaotic waves of sword energy that threw Envi back, shaking the entire arena and terrifying the spectators. I saw the Patriarch leap to shield the crowd, deflecting Mark's attacks with his own blade. He shouted out a command.
"Rosan, quickly cast a protective spell to shield the spectators!" I couldn't believe he was ordering Rosan, and even more shocking—I hadn't known Rosan was a mage!
"Yes, Patriarch!" To my surprise, Rosan pulled out a staff and began chanting.
"Oh, holy goddess of protection, grant us a heavenly shield against all harm.
Now it was clear: I was the only one left to fight Mark. A booming command echoed in my ears.
"Naoki von Blackmore… I order you to defeat that creature, even if it means killing Mark!" The Patriarch's order was clear. Was he testing my resolve?
"What the hell, you old man?!" Envi shouted angrily, sounding exactly like Naoki scolding the Patriarch. I noticed the Patriarch looked shocked.
"HEY, WAKE UP, YOU IDIOT! You're in Naoki's body, so follow orders!" I scolded Envi for being so careless.
"Eh-ehh! I-I mean, YES, PATRIARCH! The great Naoki will handle this!" Envi's voice wavered, clearly flustered. This crazy system was unpredictable.
The Patriarch, who had been frowning a moment ago, now looked a bit more at ease. He turned his focus back to coordinating the knights for the spectators' evacuation.
"I know I said 'yes,' but this is bad, Nao! That crystal from the Demon Clan can merge Mark's soul with a demon! We have to stop him, Nao!" Envi warned me in a panic.
I glanced toward Lilia, Milly, and the rest of the crowd, who were now visibly frightened.
Suddenly, a dark fog began swirling around Mark. His eyes turned jet black, his nails sharpened to claws, and an even darker, more menacing aura started seeping from him.
"Nao! We have to defeat Mark before he completes his transformation! He's only at phase two right now. If he reaches phase four, he'll become a full demon, and there'll be no saving him!" Envi shouted, urging me to act fast.
I looked over at Lilia and Milly. Lilia was crying, desperately calling out Mark's name, begging him to stop. Milly's voice was cracked and hoarse as she shouted in my direction.
"BIG BRO NAOKI, PLEASE SAVE BRO MARK!!!" Milly's plea cut right to my heart.
Seeing Milly plead like that, I froze for a moment. But then I felt Envi's emotions surge within me, filling me with resolve.
"Alright, Mark, you stubborn fool! How dare you make Milly cry!" Envi charged forward, his determination rekindled.
Mark retaliated instantly, launching another assault on Envi.
"<Blackmore Katana Style: Yangi Uke!>"
Envi countered Mark's sword aura, then unleashed his next move with full force.
"<Blackmore Katana Style: Tsurugi no Mai!>"
Mark held off the attack without a scratch. Then he began swinging his sword wildly, attacking Envi recklessly. Unlike before, his strikes were erratic, yet the damage they inflicted was overwhelming.
Envi took a direct hit and was thrown back, crashing into the wall. Watching Mark's attacks, I noticed that the crystal in his chest glowed brighter each time he prepared to strike.
I decided it was time to step in.
"Hey, Envi! Time for a switch!"
"HAH! What took you so long, sleepy princess?! Fine, I'm leaving Mark to you, Nao." Envi looked annoyed, but there was a faint smile on his face.
My consciousness returned to Naoki's body, and I took full control.
While struggling to get back up, I started analyzing Mark, trying to identify any weaknesses and checking his status window. To my surprise, his level had increased by five, and he was now possessed by a demon.
"Envi! I don't know if this will work, but in the anime I watched, demons are usually weak to light magic or divine attacks. I'll try it with my <(???) skill>." I explained my strategy to Envi.
"Oh yeah, that's true! Here in this kingdom, light mages are invaluable, especially in fighting demons." Envi confirmed.
"Alright, I'm putting it all on the line!" I charged at Mark, and as our swords clashed, I unleashed every technique I knew, but still, he took no damage.
I began preparing to awaken the <(???) skill>. I had once activated it unconsciously in a desperate moment. Maybe I could push this body beyond its limits!
We clashed again and again. Though my attacks couldn't deal any real damage, I was slowly forcing him back.
Strike after strike, I kept pressing him. My armor was in tatters, and I wondered when my (???) skill would finally activate. If it didn't awaken soon, I would be defeated without a chance!
"Nao! Try to focus to your will and hope! The goddess's system responds to strong will and hope—I believe your skill will react to it!" Envi's advice struck a chord.
...
...
My will and hope?
I know what is hope means, like i want to make my familly in earth to get better life or like i want to beat demon king so i can protect my familly..
But… What is will?
In this situation, how can i showing my will?
Look at me—completely worn out, yet still fighting Mark without rest.
My katana, crafted by Edwin, was beginning to crack and could shatter at any moment.
I looked around. Milly was crying, calling out both Naoki's and Mark's names. Lilia was slumped on the ground, also in tears, trying to comfort Milly.
There didn't seem to be any hope here.
But then I saw the Patriarch. He was watching me with unwavering confidence. Did he… did he believe in me? Was belief the same as will?
Belief…
Memories from junior high flooded my mind. Back then, I was weak and helpless. Every day, older students bullied me, both verbally and physically.
Every afternoon, I'd come home crying. One day, my older brother, Takahiro Naki, asked me, "Hey, little bro, what's wrong? Why do you come home covered in bruises every day?"
I stayed silent, unable to tell him about the bullying at school. He was in his third year while I was only in my first—two years apart. He didn't know I was being bullied, and ironically, it was by his own friends. They resented me for "taking up" his time, making him spend his breaks with me instead of them.
"Come on, Nao, you can tell me," he encouraged, his tone gentle and reassuring.
Finally, I told him everything.
"So that's what's been going on… Nao, just believe in me, okay?" Naki reassured me with a gentle pat on my head.
The next day, I saw him in a fierce fight with his friends. His plump body gives him great strength. He wouldn't tolerate anyone bullying his little brother, and the fact that it was his own friends only made him angrier.
Teachers rushed to break up the fight, but by then his friends were already sprawled on the ground, one of them even missing a tooth.
As punishment, my brother had to stand in the schoolyard, arms outstretched, from midday until school let out.
After school, I went to see him, still standing there, exhausted and drenched in sweat.
"Brother… why did you do this? Was it because I was being bullied…?" I asked, feeling guilty.
He only smiled, looking at me warmly, and said, "Believe me…you'll be okay."
But now I wonder if belief and will are truly the same. I'd put all my faith in my brother, but in the end, he suffered so much for it.
The next day, his friends began bullying him. They didn't let up. The bullying went on for weeks, then for months. No matter how much I wanted to help him, I was powerless. They wouldn't let me get involved, so I could only watch, helpless, as my brother faced them all alone.
They'd beat him up on his way home from school, hide his bag, rip his books apart, anything to torment him. He was completely isolated, treated like an outcast by everyone.
Once, I asked him why he didn't do anything about it, why he didn't just hit them back like before.
Again, he just smiled at me, as if that was all he could do.
Three months went by like that. Strangely, they'd stopped bullying me entirely, as if all their anger had turned solely to him.
Watching him endure it was torture, but he kept holding on… until graduation.
After he graduated, he locked himself in his room. He didn't want to go to high school… didn't want anything.
His mental was broken and being Hikikomori…
...
...
---To be continued in the next chapter---