Chapter 57
With roaring flames raging behind him, the demon stood tall.
Wearing light armor stained by soot and hot winds, his face bore the look of someone ready to die.
What once was the feared swordsman known as the âKazenagiâ now stood in the path of the Sword Saint.
"No intention of surrendering, huh?"
"Iâd rather die than admit defeat to you."
"Thought so!"
Crackling sword aura filled the air.
Even after most of the Demon Lordâs armyâhis supposed alliesâhad been reduced to ashes, the demon showed no sign of losing his will to fight.
Noâperhaps by now, he...
"Rex, today I will kill you. I wonât make a fool of myself like last time."
"Yeah. Iâm not screwing up like I did before, either."
Maybe he could no longer see anything but Rex.
The Sword Saint tightened his grip on his blade.
The demon let his sword hang loosely.
""Letâs settle this, my friend!!""
Without hesitation, the two launched themselves straight at each other, swords clashing.
Why?
Why am I fighting Rex?
The demon found himself wondering alone.
I should be dead. So why am I still swinging this sword?
I got cocky, let my guard down, got surrounded, and was killedâjust like that.
So then why am I swinging my sword at Rex?
His mighty blade howled, and my dagger groaned under the strain.
Now that Iâve become a demon, Rexâs strikes no longer send me flying like before.
Thatâs why itâs even. On the surface, our fight seems like a match between equals.
Rex blocks my blade with a smile. I deflect his strikes like a dancer flowing with the rhythm.
This is what I once longed forâthe power to make Rex, the overwhelmingly strong swordsman, taste defeat.
So me attacking Rexâthis isnât wrong. It canât be wrong.
So I swing my sword with all I have, aiming a fatal strike at his neck.
Yes, this is right. I should kill Rex.
For the demons Iâve come to care for. For the Demon Lord I deeply admire.
ââŚYeah.â
This was the ultimate showdown between swordsmen.
A duel where two men, who had reached the pinnacle of the blade, gave it their all.
"Goddammit."
Kazenagiâthat man once hailed as the epitome of graceful swordsmanshipâbit his lip in frustration.
"Damn demons. This sacred duel between me and Rexââââ"
Yes. The demon had realized it.
"They dared disgrace the duel between me and Rexââââ!!"
I love the demons. I can't help it.
I want to grow stronger among them.
I want to follow the absolute force that is the Demon Lord and continue honing myself.
"God damn it!!"
Those desires swirl endlessly in my heart.
My instincts cry out to bow before the Demon Lord, to fight as one of the demons.
"You idiot!!"
NoâIâm a demon.
A former human, now a soldier crafted by the Demon Blade King, a general of the demonic forces.
Thatâs who I am.
"Even though I know this is wrongâŚ"
When I look at Rex, the hatred wonât stop.
When I see humans, a chill runs down my spine.
If I let my guard down, Iâll kill them. Just seeing happy humans walking with smiles fills me with an urge to slaughterââââ
Rexâs greatsword carved a wide arc and sent me flying.
I parried the blade itself, so I wasnât hurtâbut again, he forced me back into the range where he dominates.
I hate him. Rex, with his unshakable strength, his sharp and heavy strikesâI hate him.
I must kill him. I have to kill this man, my best friend.
"âŚâŚ"
"âŚâŚ"
We exchange no words. Countless sword clashes, and still, not a single word.
Thereâs no room for talking. No room to speak when youâre facing Rex.
So I dodge his strikes in silence, biting my lip, tears welling in my eyes.
He swung down in a diagonal slashâI narrowly dodged. I stepped in to slice his neck.
My dagger slowly closed in on Rexâs throatâonly to be knocked away by his gauntlet.
It wonât reach. My strike canât reach Rex.
Even after falling into demonhood, even after gaining inhuman strength, I still canât reach Rex.
"This is so unfair, isnât itâŚ?"
What was my goal again?
Was it to kill Rex?
Was it to help the Demon Lord unify the world?
No. Thatâs not it. I just wantedââââ
"2,409 battles, 2,336 wins, my friend."
Before I knew it, I had thrown myself to the ground.
My dagger had rolled off somewhere far away.
"This time, I won't let my guard down. I'm gonna tie you up like a damn fish, so get ready."
And there was Rex, looking down at me with a grin.
Even after becoming a demon, I still couldn't beat Rex.
Even after cheating my way to monstrous strength and a body like steel, I was still just a loser.
Noâtruth is, I had lost a long time ago. Killed by a demon. Just another dead loser.
The duel between the Sword Saint and Kazenagi had finally come to an end after an intense, drawn-out battle.
Over a hundred exchanges of flawless swordplay left every spectator in awe.
But in the end, the victor was Rex.
"That was amazing, Rex. As expected of you."
"Gyahahaha!! As long as I donât get careless, this is how it goes!"
Looking down in high spirits at Kazenagi, who lay sprawled out with a greatsword at his throat, Rex kept his guard up, eyes sharp.
"...It's not over yet, Rex."
"Huh? No, come on, just admit you lost. No matter what you try now, I'll cut off your head faster than you can act."
"So what?"
What a damn sore loser.
Even with his sword knocked away, even with a blade at his throat, the demon refused to concede defeat.
"Iâll win even from here. Iâll use any means necessary to kill you."
"...You serious?"
"Iâm dead serious, Rex."
Trembling with his battered body, the defeated demon let out a roar at the Sword Saint.
"When I was still humanâmy goal, my resolveâwas to make sure you never became invincible!"
...Maybe that was Kazenagiâs honest, unfiltered truth.
"Rex always wins, like itâs just a given. What kind of crap is that, huh!? The winner deserves to be praised, not expected!"
"...My friend?"
"I didnât want to leave you alone! I didnât adventure with you because I didnât want to be treated like âyour discipleâ!"
"..."
"You have enemies, Rex! I wanted to be one of them! I wanted to be your enemy!"
Tears streaming down his face, the demon shouted, staring straight at Rex even with a sword to his neck.
"Itâs messed up, right? Why the hell am I siding with demons!? Why am I wagging my tail for the Demon King!? I donât understand anything anymore, I donât know who I am, but this one thingâI was sure it wasnât wrong!"
Rexâs cheek froze at the sound of that pitiful, sobbing scream.
"Rex, you're my enemy. I was told that by the Demon Sword Kingâthat I came back to life just to kill you. Thatâs how I knew what I was doing wasnât wrong!"
Jaw trembling violently, the swordsman-turned-demon struggled to rise, not caring that the blade at his neck dug into his skin.
"Why are you trying to save me!? Why wonât you just kill me!?"
"My... friend..."
"Am I not even worthy of being your enemy!? Will you not even acknowledge me as that!? Tell me, Rex!!"
That was the truth.
The honest cry of a pitiful swordsman who had lost everything, his corpse exploited by the Demon King's army.
He didnât want fame. He didnât want to be the strongest.
He justâ
"I am... your enemy. Isnât that right, Rex?"
He just wanted to lift the spirits of his best friend, who had grown so strong it was driving him into despair.
Of his best friend, whoâd lost his entire family and had grown listless.
"...Your true rival is standing right here."
ââââHe was just a kind-hearted fool who wanted to cheer up his friend.
"...Ah."
Rex realized it.
What this best friend truly wanted from himâthe swordsman named Rex.
"Hey, listen, Rex. I'm already a dead man."
The demon spoke to Rex as if pleading.
"I died, had my body remade, my mind tampered with. The one standing here now is just a demon with your best friend's memories."
"...Hey, what are you saying, best friend?"
"I'm telling you, your best friend died a long time ago. I'm just a replica carrying his memories."
With a spurt, blood sprayed out.
Kazenagi had pressed his own neck against the greatsword Rex was pointing at him.
"If you call a fake like me your best friend, you'd be insulting the original me."
"No, waitâ"
"If I really have his memories, then I knowâhe would never stop being your enemy, even to the very end. That's why I can't give up."
Startled by the sudden gush of blood, Rex instinctively eased his grip. That moment of hesitation freed Kazenagi's body.
"Rex, I will kill you."
And then, as he charged at Rex, still gushing bloodâ
"...Stop."
Rex reflexively kicked him away. Yet still, he came back again and again, undeterred.
It was as ifâ
"I'm your enemy, Rex!!!"
"Stop it! Donât say that to me!"
"Admit it! Am I not enough!? Am I not worthy of being your enemy!?"
It was as if he were trying to guide Rex.
"Thatâs not true! Because you were there, Iâ"
"Then!!"
With that agonized scream, the demon wrapped in wind thrust his arm straight into Rex's gutâ
"âThat's right. That's enough."
And then.
The demon stopped attacking Rex.
"Thanks. Do you think I managed to be your worthy rival?"
"You were more than enough, damn you..."
Noâhe simply could no longer move toward Rex.
"I lost. Completely."
After all, his body had been cleaved in two by the Sword Saint.
"You shouldâve done that from the start. Instead, you put everyone else in danger for nothing."
"Shut up. Like hell I could just kill you."
"You shouldâve realized sooner that I was just a fake with memories, Rex. Well, I guess that was a bit much to expect from a blockhead like you."
The light faded from the demonâs face.
As blue-black, inhuman blood splattered around, the eyes of the demon who carried Kazenagiâs memories lost their light.
"Hey, Rex. Youâre not gonna let your guard down again after this, right?"
"Let my guard down? Like I ever would again."
"Good. Then I can rest easy. âDonât die, Rex."
In that final moment, as life left the demonâ
He looked Rex straight in the eye and smiled.
"Hey. I don't remember it myself, but apparently I had a student."
"What? You weren't just pretending not to know?"
"Yeah. Take care of her, would you? A dying wish from your fake best friend."
Rex nodded in response to the request. Heâd intended to from the beginning anyway.
"Iâm serious. Sheâs somehow gotten ridiculously strong for some reason."
"...Come to think of it, you fought her, didnât you?"
"I wouldn't call it a loss... more like she didnât even consider it a fight. She sees something way beyond me, I guess."
He gave a self-deprecating laughâashamed at being surpassed by his own student.
"But if it's you, I bet even that monsterâs no match. Iâm counting on you, Rex."
Those were his final words.
And with that, he fell into eternal rest.
Northeast Fortress.
It was a crucial stronghold of the humans, one the Demon King had impulsively invaded in his thirst for battle.
"...You've got to be kidding me."
The title of âDemon Kingâ was the ultimate trump card for the demons.
Put him on the battlefield and you'd win. That was how it was supposed to goâa true joker in the deck. As long as your opponent wasnât specifically prepared for him, there was no stronger hand to play.
That was how it was supposed to be.
"What the hell is this!? What am I even fighting against!?"
And yet, that disbelief was rooted in truth.
There shouldn't be anything in the world stronger than the Demon King in single combat. In fact, beings capable of even damaging his monstrously durable body could be counted on two hands.
And now, one of those rare beingsâsomeone with the power to harm the Demon Kingâ
"Do you have mass or not!? Are you even there or not there!?"
"You can see for yourself, demon."
"I'm asking because I can't tell! Damn it!"
He was facing an absurd formationâone guarded by a master of divine-tier defense that nullified virtually every attack.
"Why am I getting overpowered by humans!?"
"Because you're weak."
The absolute being known as the Demon Kingâwas cornered.
Even Clarise, who had been watching from the sidelines, likely didnât comprehend even ten percent of the swordswomanâs technique.
A powerful demon clenches his fist, draws back, and thrusts forward. At each of those three stages, his attack is subtly divertedâever so slightly, just enough to throw him off balance.
With a quiet push of the hand. With intentional openings to misdirect the attack. With strange footwork to confuse the enemyâs perception.
At this level, the swordplay could be called sleight of handârefined to near perfection. It was a supreme art honed over a lifetime by a weak swordswoman in order to defeat far stronger foes.
âWe can win, canât we...?â
âWe can, Lady Clarise.â
A faint expression of relief crossed Clarise's face.
Bit by bitâslowly but surelyâthe demonâs movements were growing sluggish. Meanwhile, Clarise still had plenty of magical energy left, and Flatche showed no signs of fatigue.
If things continued like this, victory was within reach.
"I havenât the faintest idea what Flatche is doing. But whatever it is, she's fending off a ridiculous number of attacks on her own. Truly, she's a monsterâbut one of a completely different breed than Rex."
"..."
Even as she said this, Clarise casually summoned a blazing dragon and sent it hurtling toward the Demon King. The soldiers watching couldn't decide which side was more terrifying.
The two might not have realized it themselves, but if they managed to defeat the Demon King here, victory for the humans would be certain. After all, the very reason the demons had invaded human territory was the presence of this âDemon Kingââthe absolute powerhouse.
If he fell, the remaining demons would likely flee in panic.
âWhether heâs the Demon King or some supreme commander, it doesnât matter. If we take him down here, itâll make things a whole lot easier going forward.â
âNo doubt about it.â
Clarise, too, sensed it on some level.
This was the decisive battleâthe turning point of the entire war. If they let him slip away now, there might never be another chance to defeat him head-on.
âAll magic users, gather! Lend me your power! All warriors, bring potions from the storehouse to me!â
âYes, maâam!â
âWe shall become one in body and spiritâand slay that demon together!â
Clarise was prepared to give everything she had.
Her mind was set. She would take down that demon.
âGood day to you.â
And thenâ
Just as Clarise and Flatche pressed their advantageâ
A subordinate demon, seemingly having chased after the Demon King, suddenly appeared before them.
âIt is an honor to make your acquaintance, humans. We are of the Bat Clan.â
ââŚHoh, reinforcements? Youâve only come to add to the body count!â
Clariseâs anger surged the moment she saw the demon reinforcements.
She hadnât expected this to go smoothly. That demon was undeniably a big shotâinterference was inevitable.
Which is why Clarise had resolved to use her ultimate technique to wipe out everything in her path.
"Oh, finally caught up, Bat. You could've warned me the humans were this damn strong!"
âIndeed. We, too, are rather astonished.â
âThen lend me a hand! Crush that tiny mage over there!â
Even the Demon King had no room to breathe now.
His stamina was depleted, his body batteredâand yet the enemy remained unscathed.
The specter of defeatâof deathâflashed through his mind. Even the Demon King himself was being pushed to the brink.
ââŚMy lord. If the enemy proves too troublesome, perhaps it is time for underhanded tactics. Humans do not hold the monopoly on such methods.â
âUnderhanded tactics?â
âYes. It seems there are non-combatant humans within this fortress. And as Iâve heard it, humans are quite sentimental by natureââ
Clarise, meanwhile, wasnât focused solely on the Demon King.
She released the incantation for a wide-area annihilation spell, a spell designed to incinerate everything in its pathâreinforcements and all.
A towering pillar of flame erupted.
And in its lightâ
ââŚâŚâ
Clarise saw a young boyâclearly younger than her own little sisterâheld captive by the Bat Clan, his eyes brimming with tears.
"âŚA hostage?"
"Indeed, O noble human mage. If you wish this boy to live, you will cease your attacks at once."
A demon held a human child as a shield, using him as a threat.
It was a situation Clarise had never even imagined. Why was there a child here? Why would a demon, far superior in power, resort to such cowardice? When had that bat taken a hostage?
"âŚ"
"Look, the child is trembling so pitifully. Doesn't it break your heart?"
In the height of confusion, Clarise unintentionally halted her spell. She was far too kind a person to even consider abandoning a child to their fate.
"Well done, bat!"
In that moment of hesitation, the Demon King leapt forward gleefullyâ
"Who are you calling pitiful, you damn demon?!"
Just as the Demon King's crushing blow shattered Clariseâs barrier, the boy gripped by the bat at the neck shouted with all his might toward her.
"Donât underestimate me, demon!"
His eyes burned with unshakable resolve as he grinned.
"If youâre gonna kill me, then go ahead and do it! But you guys donât you dare stop fighting just because of someone like me!"
As that roar of conviction echoed, the wind once more coiled around the Demon King.
"I'm Souta! I was gonna become the greatest merchant in this country! A human whose brother was murdered by your kind!"
Once again, the Demon King misjudged the distance and swung wide. In that opening, Clariseâs summoned pillar of flame struck him squarely.
The bat clicked his tongue in irritation and glared at the boy. But the boy glared right back, undaunted.
"I wonât survive just to be used by the bastard who killed my brother! Hey, dumb-looking lady, Iâm counting on you to avenge me too!"
"âŚConsider it done. Thatâs a fine resolve, Souta."
And in the boyâs eyes, a fierce flame of determination blazed.
We can win this.
Even if I canât react to this monsterâs blows in time, I can predict them and respond accordingly.
All I have to do is steer its focus and fists awayâthen I can protect Clarise. Sheâll be the one to finish this thing off in my place.
âDamn it, Bat! Weâre pulling outâstall for time!â
âI doubt Iâm capable of even doing that much. And besides, I donât think weâd make it far turning our backs on that mage.â
âShit!â
The bat shrugged helplessly, and the golden one cursed with a voice steeped in despair. That alone told meâwe had the upper hand now.
I started to understand what Mino meant. So this is it... this is when I shine brightest: with a high-powered mage backing me up from the rear.
I can leave all the attacking to Clarise. I just have to dodge and deflect. Honestly, this is kind of ridiculously easy.
âFlatche!! Just a bit more, hang in there!!â
âGot it!!â
Behind me, rainbow-colored flames erupted. Every single one of them was Clarise's overwhelming magical supportâcovering me, protecting me.
How reassuring. Just knowing a monster like Clarise is at my back makes everything feel so much lighter.
If all I have to do is defend this fortress, then Iâll hold it with her by my sideâfor a hundred years, if need be. This must be what it feels like to believe you canât lose.
âDo something, Bat!!â
âI am doing something, thank you! And honestly, let this be the last time you go charging off without a plan!â
âFine, I get it! Just help me out!â
The demonâs voice trembled with panic.
If we can take down this one, then all thatâs left is the bat. If weâre lucky, we might even be able to save that noble little con-artist apple boy too.
Nowâs the time. This is where I grit my teeth and go all in.
âGgh, Iâm... running out of strengthââ
â...Now! This is our chance!â
The demonâs core wavered, and it dropped to one knee. The very next moment, Clarise incinerated the Demon King in a blast of pure, searing magic that burned like a beam of concentrated sunlight.
âGRAAAAGHHHHHHH!!â
âBe annihilated! Become nothing more than dust on the land of Pedia!â
Is it over? Did we reallyâfinallyâwin this time...?
â
â
"Stop right there, human! Now then, boy, care to repeat those words one more time?"
Just as victory seemed certainâ
Once again, the bat-like monster seized the boy by the throat and declared loudly.
"...Ah... ah..."
"No need to force yourself. Thatâs the normal reaction. Earlier, you were just putting on a reckless show of bravery, spouting things you didnât truly mean, werenât you, boy?"
"Ah... ah..."
"Look thereâat the soldierâs corpse with its face caved in. Remember your so-called brother, charred black in the cold, rotting flames."
...Soutaâs expression had changed. The unwavering resolve from before was nowhere to be seen.
"Death is the end. Youâll be left to rot on the roadside, your flesh devoured by maggots, your body turned to pitch-black charcoal and buried deep in the dark earth."
"But... no, Iâ"
"Youâre scared, arenât you? Terrified, right? Go on, say it. Just one word, and Iâll spare you."
Damn it. That demon really did it.
Souta, who had steeled himself with tragic resolve, ready to face deathâthat bastard carved the fear of death into him with words.
"...Scared..."
The voice echoed through the silent fortress.
"Iâm scared. Iâm scared... I donât wanna die..."
"...Souta."
"Iâm sorry... Iâm sorry, Iâm sorry, Iâm sorry..."
No. Thatâs normal.
It was only because Souta, despite being so young, had made such a noble resolve that Clarise and I could keep fighting.
But normallyâany ordinary boy, with his throat in the grip of a bat demon, threatened with death, would break down crying.
"I donât wanna die... Flatche... save meâ"
"...Yeah. I see."
Thenâ
If youâre begging for help... I canât just ignore that.
Iâm not like Mino. I wonât accept an outcome built on someone elseâs sacrifice. My sword exists to protect those crying right in front of me.
"...Hah... hah..."
"Lucky you, trash demon. Iâll let you go."
I let my dagger clatter to the ground.
"Flatche..."
"Sorry, Clarise. I canât just abandon him."
"...I see. Well, it canât be helped."
Clarise, with a frustrated expression, dropped her staff.
My badâdragging you into my selfishness. Me giving up means practically abandoning you, after all.
"You dare... you dare mock meâ?!"
"Hahaha! Demon, if a nobody like me can push you this far, you creatures donât stand a chance against humanity. The royal capitalâs got swordsmen way stronger than me."
"What?!"
Well, losing someone like me wonât change much. This demon was strong, but still someone I could handle. Which means Rex would wipe the floor with him.
Sorry to burden Rex like this, but last time, I had his back. This time, he can cover for me.
"Go on, struggle all you want, demons."
"......"
Staring down the golden-eyed demonâs furious glare, I smirked coldly.
Rex is still out there. The true strongest is waiting in the royal capital. The demonsâ defeat is already decided.
Someone stronger than meâRexâis still standing in their way.
â
â
â
"ââââI can't."
...Yeah. I can't beat Rex.
If it were Rex, he'd win in my place.
I'll never reach him.
ââââ"Can't win."
In the dim light before dawn, at the gates of the royal capitalâ
A single demon breathed his last.
ââThink you can manage it, best friend?â âŚWhat the hell did you mean by that?â
The demonâs dying words were deeply cryptic. It sounded less like a plea to look after his disciple and more like a desperate warning to stop her.
"...Rex. He's already dead."
"I see."
What had this man been trying to say? Even after falling to the demons, he had kept challenging Rex as a friend, as a rival.
The Sword Saint gently closed the eyelids of the man who had remained his greatest adversaryâand dearest friendâuntil the very end.
"...So he's really gone. I see..."
Turning the words over in his mind, Rex clutched the corpse of the demon he himself had cut down, tears spilling freelyâ
ââââ
Just as the nun reached out to wipe Rexâs wet cheeksâ
A shadow, wreathed in black haze, flickered behind her.
"Karin!!"
A desperate lunge.
Rexâs arm shot out on instinct, yanking the nunâs sleeve and pulling her against his chest. The sound of tearing fabric sliced through the air as the scarf around Karinâs neck was severedâjust barely missing her throat.
A hairâs breadth too late. The sudden slash had cut nothing but empty space.
ââââ
"...Can't... beat Rex."
When Rex looked upâ
A swordswoman stood there.
Clutching a battered, bloodstained shortsword loosely in her grip. Her black hair swayed listlessly in the wind.
A cat-eyed girl with piercing blue eyes stared straight at the Sword Saint, unwavering.
"Thatâs... your limitâââââ"
Her right arm rose smoothly.
Holding the blade aloft, she lowered her gazeâas if in prayer.
"F-Flatche...?"
Rexâs voice was hollow with disbelief.
This was a girl he knew well.
A comrade. Family. One of the few irreplaceable people in his lonely life.
"......"
In the split second between recognition and shockâ
The swordswoman moved.
Silent as the wind, she closed the distance in an instantâ
And stood before Rex, blade poised.
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