“Phew… I got a bit excited there.”

Phu Yen pushes Kai away with all his strength and then looks at the empty ceiling while hiding his face with his hand to calm himself.

He then started walking slowly towards Aya Ryuenji, twirling his black sword as if he couldn’t wait to cut something.

“No, no…”

The noble girl, intimidated by his smile that carried a hint of madness, sat on her backside.

A direct dose of real madness and murderous intent.

It was enough to break a person’s spirit, even if that person possessed high magical power like Aya.

Watching her, Phu Yen kicked the head of Masuda, who was lying nearby, and it rolled towards the girl.

The severed head flew like a ball and hit Aya squarely in the face.

“Ow!?”

Blood flowed from her mouth where she bit her lip, and a bruise formed as if she had been punched in the cheek.

Seeing the rolling head in front of her and feeling that pain, Aya sensed it.

That death was close at hand.

“I like that expression. The faces of God’s puppets in fear are the best. I wish I could show this to your grandfather. I wonder what kind of face he would make, that annoying old soldier who refuses to die,” Phu Yen said, looking at Aya’s twisted face with a gleeful expression.

“Why… why are you going to kill me?”

“To spread our message to the world. It doesn’t matter who it is, the more famous the better. By killing a lovely girl like you in a brutal way, the world will remember us. So, I’ll make you into just a head and expose you to the world. I hope you’ll be made into a laughingstock by the world.”

Phu Yen smiled at Aya with a full-faced smile.

His expression was the epitome of madness, not at all the kind of smile a person would have when they’re happy.

His face, that of a fanatic, was enough to instill fear in Aya.

“My… my head… no…”

“Don’t you want to be beheaded? Well then, how about this. We’ll cut off your limbs and keep you as a pet in our church. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to broadcast that image to the world? Yes, that’s a good idea. It sounds more fun than killing you.”

Phu Yen made a devilish proposal.

Aya felt nauseous just thinking about it.

It seemed more terrifying than death.

“Besides, you seem to be quite attractive. Our church is mostly male, so I’m sure everyone will be pleased. … Hehe. Well then, we don’t have much time.”

With that, Phu Yen raised his sword and approached Aya.

Aya was already paralyzed with fear.

The noble figure was gone, and all that was left was a girl trembling with fear.

“No, no!”

Aya shook her limbs, tears welling up in her eyes.

The emotion of fear dominated Aya’s brain, making it impossible for her to think about anything else.

Aya, who had been raised over-protectively and didn’t have much resistance to fear, found the terror she was experiencing for the first time so intense that she could barely breathe.

“Well then…”

Just as he was about to drop the raised sword straight down onto Aya.

“First, those long legs─gah!?”

“Huh?”

The girl, who was simply watching Phu Yen with tearful eyes, saw him spin and fly sideways immediately after.

“Damn it… couldn’t finish it.”

Out of nowhere, one of the guards appeared.

He appeared out of nowhere, as if he had been invisible.

On the sword he swung, there was a thick coat of red blood.

“What…?”

The one who appeared was Kai Amachi, who had been lying in wait using Mirage.

Even though he had aimed for the perfect timing to aim for the neck with his sword, he was barely guarded, and by spinning while flying back, Phu Yen managed to reduce the damage.

Kai crouched in front of Aya and told her,

“Please listen calmly, Aya Ryuenji-san. You have a special power. The power to create equipment imbued with magical power. The power to create Artifacts.”

“What are you talking about!?”

Kai removes the red necklace hanging from Aya’s neck.

He makes Aya hold a large ruby-like object that looks like a big jewel.

“We need your power. Believe in yourself! I don’t know how, but you can surely do it if it’s you! This magic stone is the medium.”

“I can’t! I don’t have such power!”

“You can! Believe in yourself!! If not…”

Kai deflects a swung sword from the side.

“We will die here!”

He repels a strike from Phu Yen, clad in black magic power like darkness.

Thus, the battle for life between Phu Yen and Kai began.

“Haha, what a coincidence. You also have a power similar to mine, don’t you? I almost got my neck cut off!”

“Kuh!”

Phu Yen, dripping red blood from his cheek, clashes with Kai.

But Phu Yen is the one pushing forward.

As expected, the difference in magic power is absolute; Kai can’t win against Phu Yen from the front.

“However, you seem weaker than me. As you know, the more difference there is in magic power, the weaker the effect of the skill! Even if it’s a bit hard to see, unless it’s a surprise attack, it won’t be fatal!!”

“Ugh!!”

Kai and Phu Yen clash.

There is indeed a difference in magic power.

Kai uses Mirage. Phu Yen uses Darkness.

Phu Yen’s Darkness can be almost neutralized by the Eye of God.

Kai’s Mirage is almost neutralized by the difference in magical power, to the extent that it obstructs recognition a bit.

That difference barely holds back against the absolute gap called magic power.

Suddenly, Phu Yen lowers his sword, takes a little distance, and asks me a question.

“That’s why it’s strange. Why can you recognize me in the darkness? My power has almost no effect on higher-ranked opponents, but it has absolute power against lower-ranked ones, so I don’t understand.”

Phu Yen is puzzled. He is definitely more powerful.

During the battle he became convinced of this.

Despite this, his opponent is fighting while firmly recognizing his position.

He doesn’t understand the reason.

“That’s a secret… I’ll reveal it after I’ve defeated you.”

“I see… But your power is gradually weakening. It seems that the recognition obstruction skill is also losing its effectiveness.”

“I know that much; I’ll defeat you by then.”

“Hehe… okay. I thought it was an easy task, but I didn’t expect to struggle so much. You’re not just an assassination target, it seems you’re an enemy.”

Saying that, Phu Yen sticks his sword into the ground.

And he bows with a beautiful gesture.

As if introducing himself, he does so politely.

“I apologize for the hasty introduction earlier, assuming this would be over quickly. My name is Phu Yen. I have been appointed as a bishop of the God-Destruction Sect. My main job is to go around the world killing things that are disadvantageous to our sect. So? What’s your name?”

“Thank you for that terrible self-introduction. I am Kai Amachi, a clearer of this country.”

Kai brandishes his sword and declares his name.

Perhaps he reflexively reciprocated because he was introduced to so courteously, but there should be no problem because it will either kill or be killed anyway.

“Kai Amachi… I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere… somewhere…”

Then Phu Yen rests his chin on his hand and closes his eyes in thought.

Kai has no choice but to wait for Aya’s artifact creation to succeed－he didn’t even wish for a conversation.

He doesn’t know what kind of effects an artifact has.

Even so, in this situation, there’s no choice but to bet everything on that.

Moment by moment, the countdown to defeat ticks away.

“That’s right!! I remember now!! You’re one of the participants of the golden Cube that fell in this country, right? You were supposed to be dead, but it was later said to be a paperwork error… could it be, you?”

“!? You know about it? That Cube. What do you know!”

“… You were unranked, weren’t you? Why? I’m even more puzzled… perhaps.”

Phu Yen, who until a moment ago had a light-hearted atmosphere, now glares at me with more murderous intent than ever.

“Were you chosen? By God?”

“What are you talking about, I have no idea what you mean?”

“…Hehehe, Hahaha!! I see, I see!! What a thing! It was you, wasn’t it? Not Issei Tanaka!! Then!!”

Immediately afterward, Phu Yen comes at Kai with full power.

“I must kill you and take you back!!”

Without even using Darkness, it’s a sheer force.

But that’s the most effective for Kai, the difference in magic power is an absolute difference that can’t be overcome.

“Damn it! Mirage!”

Kai also uses Mirage in an attempt to gain any advantage he could.

However.

“It’s barely effective anymore!! Knight of God!!”

Easily seen through by Phu Yen.

The only reason he’s able to cross swords is because of his experience of life-or-death situations.

Experience of turning the tide in a disadvantageous battle, but still, defeat is slowly approaching.

The difference in magic power is absolute, and Kai’s experience is still too immature to cover that.

On the other hand, the last hope is.

“Artifact? What are you talking about? What kind of power do you say I have!?”

Aya desperately clutches the crimson gem in her hand.

A beautiful crimson magic stone extracted from a monster called a “crimson dragon,” a top-class A-Rank dragon species.

It was a gift from her grandfather, the chairman of the Japanese Dungeon Association.

“I don’t have such a power; I don’t have any special power.”

The personality of Aya, who lives nobly, was created by effort.

She was raised with expectations from her birth, circumstances, and magic power.

However, she had no power.

She should have a lot of magic power, but she can’t do anything, she can’t accomplish anything. For this reason, she was sometimes despised as an incompetent S-Rank, but she silenced them with her strenuous efforts.

She studied more than anyone else, she learned more than anyone else.

Yet, she didn’t understand what magic power was, and even though she knew she had a vast amount of magic power, she didn’t know how to use it.

If she dove into the dungeon, this dark world might change.

She had such faint hope and asked to dive into the dungeon now that she had turned 18.

Aya’s life was just ahead of her.

That’s where it seemed to be coming to an end.

At the end, in words she couldn’t understand, she was told to do her best because she had special powers.

There was no way she could believe it.

It was a word she had always wanted to believe but had been constantly denied.

The short 18 years, which to her had been a lifetime.

She was not special; Her mundane self-had no value in this world.

The days of being made to think so had taught her to build walls between herself and others, making her seem like a noble young girl at first glance.

That was what lay at the core of her being.

“It’s no use… I can’t do it…”

The more she tried, the more powerless she felt, and tears spilled out.

Just as she was about to give up and release her gripped hand in defeat―

Kai was blown onto the wall beside her.

Blood flowed from his head, but his eyes were still unyielding, straight and shining golden.

Even in tatters, those eyes never lost their light.

“Haha, I don’t know what you’ve been desperately trying to do, but that girl can’t do anything, can she?”

Phu Yen laughed and scorned Aya.

His eyes looked down on Aya with a sleazy, base gaze.

“Does she have any value other than her pedigree? Do you need to save such a worthless girl? There’s a slight chance you could escape if it’s just you.”

“…”

Aya looked down, tears falling.

She had heard it many times before; these looks had always been praised.

Only these looks, only this exterior, had always been praised by everyone with superficial words.

It was unbearably frustrating.

But.

“That’s not true.”

The boy could see.

“Don’t talk about her possibilities when you can’t see anything. Don’t deny her possibilities when you can only see the outside. She’s strong. She has a truly strong heart that doesn’t give up and believes in herself. You can’t understand that. You can’t understand the feelings of someone who has been called incompetent all their lives. The strength of a heart that never gives up!!”

Kai had heard from Tanaka.

That Aya had been called, within half baseless rumors, “The Incompetent S-Rank”.

And that she had continued to pile up efforts to resist.

That pain, that frustration, and that amazingness.

Kai knew it all.

“Still standing, are you? I don’t understand. Is it not you who can’t see the situation?”

Kai stood up, battered and bruised.

He stood up again and again with his unbreakable spirit, which he was confident in.

“No, I can see. Everything.”

And Kai pointed at Phu Yen.

“You’re going to lose.”

“Hahaha! What are you saying in this situation? Ah… I’m tired. Let’s end this. I’ll prove you wrong with this!!”

Immediately after, Phu Yen ran with all his might and stood in front of Aya, not Kai.

He swung his sword down and aimed it at Aya’s neck.

An undeniable blade of death, its murderous edge attacked Aya.

Aya involuntarily closed her eyes.

Just then, Aya’s face was drenched in fresh blood.

The red, iron-tasting blood stained Aya’s lips.

“…Huh?”

But that blood was not her own; she opened her eyes and looked up.

It was his back.

Raising his sword, he somehow managed to stop the blow.

However, the blade bit into his left hand and blood spurted out.

“Amachi-san… why…”

“Don’t look away, Ryuenji-san. Keep believing in yourself, in your power! Not giving up is all people like us have!”

Those words were once said to his past self.

Kai, who had always scorned himself, had changed his world ultimately by his own mindset.

Kai, enduring the pain, turned back and smiled broadly.

He then endured the pain and counterattacked, but Phu Yen kept his distance.

Kai, who had severely damaged his left arm, could no longer grip the sword with both hands, and knelt down.

Seeing this, Aya…

Nodded slowly.

Once again, without averting her eyes from the heart, she entrusted her wishes straight to the gem in her palm.

She didn’t know what she could do.

But for the people who have been desperately protecting her until now, for the people who have believed in her until now…

She wanted to answer with all her might.

She bit her lip and as if praying put power into her hand.

This time she won’t doubt, this time she won’t give up.

Because it’s not a loss until death ends everything.

Then, a drop of blood seeped from Aya’s mouth.

The fresh blood flowed into the gem she held in her hand,

And the moment a drop of blood touched the crimson magic stone…

Suddenly, the magic stone shone brightly like the sun.

“What? What is this…”

Kai laughed at the sight, while Phu Yen was surprised but shielded his face from the brightness.

“I believed in you… I’ll borrow this for bit.”

Kai took the red gem in Aya’s hand.

He gripped the gem tightly and stood up.

“I don’t know what happened, but is this your last struggle? A distraction at this point?”

“No, it’s not. This is her true power.”

“What nonsense, that woman is incompetent! That’s an unchangeable fact!”

“No. You just can’t see… about her. And then… “

“…can’t see? What are you talking about──!?”

Phu Yen widened his eyes.

He frantically looked around.

Because Kai, who should have been visible until a moment ago, had disappeared.

“…where?”

Kai suddenly disappeared from his view.

It was Kai’s skill that distorted light and showed illusions.

But it was a power that was supposed to have no effect on superior opponents.

That skill distorted Phu Yen’s vision, as if.

“…me.”

Like a mirage.