“Don’t mess with me, damn it!”
Even with ten well-trained knights restraining him, Damon stood up, lifting the knights on his back.
“W-What?”
“N-No way, did he…stand up?”
“What kind of leg strength is this?!”
The knights were astounded. Damon stood, bearing all their weight, including the heavy armor they wore.
And then…
“UGAAAAAAA!”
“!!!?”
Twisting his body forcefully, Damon flung the knights off, sending them soaring through the air. Launched almost to the ceiling, the knights were helplessly suspended before crashing back to the floor.
“Knights? Even though these weaklings hold warrior and other prestigious titles… I’m rejected and a commoner? That’s absurd!”
With that, Damon raised his right foot and—
“Juggling!”
Without letting any of them hit the ground, he kicked each of the falling knights back up, striking them with rapid footwork. Slammed into the ceiling, they hit the floor without a chance to brace themselves.
“Argh…this brat…”
“What is this… strength…”
“He’s… so powerful…”
“This is the strength of the ‘Innate Superhuman, Magic Kicker Damon’…”
Glaring down at the knights crawling on the ground, Damon’s anger flared even hotter.
“Get it now? Even elite Imperial Knights, the chosen class holders from all over the Empire, are like this! Not just them! In school, in tournaments, no one could defeat me! Not a single one! And you say I’m a commoner? Don’t make me laugh! If you don’t retract this nonsense, not even the Saint is safe—I’ll kick her to death!”
Damon roared, his rage and murderous intent in full display.
“This isn’t my will. It’s God’s will,” the Saint responded calmly, her voice unwavering as she regarded Damon coldly, like one would a foolish creature beneath notice.
And then—
“There’s big news! A ‘Hero’ class has been born in the southern ritual chamber!”
“What?!”
From outside the room, cheers and voices of shock echoed.
“Secund from the Imperial Knight Academy has become a Hero!”
“Are you serious?! A Hero has been born! The Empire’s first Hero in twenty years!”
“Hail! Hail the birth of a Hero!”
While Damon reeled in shock, joyous voices filled the air. Not only had he been rejected, but someone else had been chosen as the Hero—his friend, no less.
In that moment, rather than celebrating his friend’s new role, Damon could only think:
“W-Wait! Secund? Why…why did he become the Hero, and not me?! I’ve never lost to him in a practice match, not once! Even in our recent matches, I won! So how is he the Hero while I’m just a commoner? What’s going on, Saint?! This is a scam! It has to be some kind of mistake!”
But the Saint merely looked at him and, as calmly as ever, replied:
“This is reality. There are no mistakes in the holy selection. Accept reality. Above all, I won’t allow this holy ritual to be tainted further.”
And yet…
Several days later—
“I apologize! I don’t even know how to properly express my regret! I know that mere apologies won’t suffice, but still…I’m so terribly sorry!”
The once emotionless and serene Saint, who always looked down on others like a doll, was now trembling with distress, her eyes brimming with tears as she knelt before Damon.
“It seems…the divine mirror used in the selection ritual malfunctions in the presence of talents too exceptional to measure… Therefore, your true class, the one meant for you alone, has been revealed to be a ‘Transcendent Hero,’ a talent that surpasses even the Hero class—a one-in-a-millennium blessing!”
But this revelation came after Damon had already lost everything.
“Please, bestow upon me any punishment you see fit. I am no longer the Saint, but merely a breathing doll. You may kill me in one blow, inflict boundless pain, destroy this body however you wish… I will obey every one of your desires and commands, offering you my body, heart, and soul in total penance… Please, My Master…”
Watching the Saint grovel before him, Damon stared in disbelief, recalling everything from just days before.
The shattered future…
The lost home…
The love taken from him…
