The sound of destruction echoed through the city of Elden.
It was caused by the cannonball that was kicked away, the hero Ares, crashing at high speed into a building and causing it to collapse.
The one who kicked that cannonballโShesโcut his gaze from the swirling dust and turned to face me. He sheathed his rusted holy sword and kneeled, bowing his head.
โI am Shestin Sacred, a holy knight and the Imperial hero of the Ainheryal Empire. I stand before you now, with my life renewed, Master.โ
Shes, with his long silver hair swaying, looked up at me with a serious expression.
โI am deeply grateful for your generous grace, Master, not just this time, but repeatedly.โ
โM-Masterโฆ?โ
โMy apologies. Should I call you โLordโ instead?โ
Shes tilted his head, asking. The use of titles like โMasterโ or โLordโ left me somewhat confused.
Before I could answer, I asked:
โShesโฆ or rather, your true name is Shestin, right?โ
โYes. Call me whichever you prefer, Lord Kiwi.โ
โAlright then, Shes. You can call me Kiwi as well. Just Kiwi, no need for โLordโ or โMasterโ.โ I cleared my throat.
โShes, by the way, are you on the side of the โDemon Kingdomโ?โ
That had been my biggest concern. Shes was clearly once a holy knight, and he had been a hero as well.
โฆThe Ainheryal Empire had fallen about two hundred years ago. So, there was the possibility that he might side with the โhuman sideโ instead.
But before I could dwell further on it, Shes responded:
โDo you think I would raise my blade against my savior, who gave me this new life? That is unthinkable.โ
Shes narrowed his eyes in disbelief and firmly declared. It seemed my worry had been unfounded.
โIโm relieved to hear that. Itโs reassuring.โ
โYes. You can rest assured, as if aboard a great ship.โ
Shes gave a quiet smile and slowly stood up.
โAs long as I am here, I will never let you die, Kiwi.โ
Shes drew his holy sword again. Just after, the blue light of a flash of light, the strike of a sword, came at us, but Shes expertly parried and struck down every attack.
โFor the pride of my knighthood.โ
Shes glared at the dust ahead, from which Hero Ares came charging at him, moving at the speed of a bullet.
The holy swords of both Shes and Ares clashed, their blades meeting.
โIf youโve been listeningโฆ itโs laughable that you, the ones who live in darkness, speak of knighthood and pride!โ
โMy code of chivalry knows neither light nor dark. It is only under a worthy master that loyalty is to be given.โ
The battle unfolded at a speed far beyond my ability to see.
The sound of swords clashing was like grinding a rock, a harsh and unforgiving noise that no human hand could produce.
And thenโ
โYouโre relying too much on brute force. Is this the extent of what modern heroes can do?โ
Shesโs graceful footwork and swordplay began to toy with Ares.
First, Aresโ sword failed to catch Shesโ blade.
โDamn it, you slippery bastard!โ
โYour holy power and strength are impressive, but your form is a mess.โ
Shes drew a circle with his holy sword, using it to catch Aresโ missed thrust, and then sent Aresโ sword flying into the air. Then, he quickly struck at Aresโ open torso.
โGah, haโฆ!โ
โYouโre tough, but at least I can use this to clean the rust off my sword.โ
Ares had taken the hit directly, but his armor only showed traces of rust. It seemed the holy magic on his armor was protecting his body.
โDamn itโฆ donโt think youโve won just because of that!โ
โWon? โฆPitiful hero. I feel like Iโm facing a child swinging around a stick. Thereโs no way I could feel triumphant.โ
โYouโre underestimating me!โ
Ares lunged at Shes, but none of his strikes landed.
The battle was now overwhelmingly in Shesโs favor. However, it seemed that with his rusted sword, Shes couldnโt break through Aresโ defense.
โฆThis is my fault. I had planned to bring zombies as my escorts, so I should have prepared for situations like this and maintained their equipment.
โHa! No matter how great your sword skills are, Iโm not afraid of your attacks!โ
It seemed Ares had noticed Shesโ weakness.
โHow pathetic! To have only rusty swords and shameful armor from a foolish master. Your skills will go to waste!โ
Ares taunted Shes between their clashes.
โฆThat hurt to hear.
If I make it out of here alive, Iโll make sure to sharpen that sword and buy him some proper armor.
One of the uses for my 120 million gold had just been decided.
As I thought about it, a voice rang out:
โA foolish master, you sayโฆ?โ
Shesโs tone and presence changed, and with a loud crack, he stomped the ground, swinging his holy sword with brute force.
Although Aresโ holy sword blocked the attack, the force sent Ares flying back into another building.
Shes, attempting to follow up, nearly collapsed from exhaustion.
โโฆBe careful, Shes.โ
I rushed behind him, supporting his body and using Dark Heal.
His foot had been crushed when he stepped, and his arm was nearly torn from swinging the holy sword.
โYouโve shifted from good to evil since your first death. Your potential has risen to the level of a demon. But your body is still human. If you push yourself too hard, your body will break.โ
โI apologize for the trouble. Thank you for healing me.โ
Shes steadied himself and raised his holy sword once more.
Ahead of him, Hero Ares rose to his feet.
โฆThat hero. How tough can he be?
After all the punishment he had takenโShesโs kick, rubble crushing him, multiple sword strikes, and even a full-force attackโhe was still standing strong.
But even soโฆ
โIt seems weโve reached the victory condition.โ
With my murmur, thunder roared. From the dark sky, something ominous and red landed between Ares and us, accompanied by evil magic.
The strong man who appeared tossed a bundle of things at Aresโ feet.
โA gift. The remains of your subordinates.โ
The items that rolled out were more than ten broken swordsโlikely belonging to the Aresโ subordinates who had been trying to stall us.
Ares stared, wide-eyed, as the powerful manโone of the strongest in the Demon Kingdom, a high-ranking officer named Agitoโgrinned widely, showing his large, jagged teeth.
โNow, shall we continue, hero?โ