Subjugation of the Demon King (1)

The day of the subjugation of the Demon King was upon them. The four heroes made their final preparations to enter the dimensional rift.

They cleared their mind.

They checked their bodies.

They also received support from the Holy Kingdom. They were provided with armor made by Vulcanus. Apart from that, other supplies like holy water and potions were given to them in a magic pouch.

"I don't know if it will have an effect, but…"

The King spoke with a concerned voice.

He couldn't help it. The place the Demon King stayed wasn't in the human world. It was a place that even God's graces couldn't touch. He wasn't sure how Holy Power would help them there. But it was better to give them the truth than empty words of encouragement.

But the four swordsmen didn't care about it too much.

"Thank you, Holy King."

Ilya Lindsay thanked the Holy King. She looked like the main character in a fairy tale with her fluttering silver hair and body equipped with holy armor.

She also had a determined expression and exuded strong energy.

Seeing her completely different from when they had first met, Kuvar felt a special emotion.

'You… all of you really have grown so much.'

Of course, the old Ilya was amazing! Wasn't she the youngest Sword Master? He still remembered how shocked he was when he saw her at the age of 18 with that crowd around her, wielding an aura sword and becoming the champion of the Land of Proof.

However, he had watched her closely and had witnessed the sadness, anxiety, and chaos behind that shining form, so he couldn't help but admire this woman who had embraced the sky.

'The same goes for Bratt and Judith, who have become so strong.'

Their growth was even greater than Ilya's. This was inevitable because the nature of energy representing the two belonged to two of the five elements.

At the start, Bratt was like a flowing wave, but now he was the sea itself. His energy, which was huge enough to cover the world, only flowed when necessary and raged violently to destroy the world when he deemed it. Even the most dangerous devils would have a hard time stopping him now.

What about Judith?

Her flame was not inferior to Bratt. It was already a thing of the past for her to burn herself and others because of her desperate emotions. Today, she could control the flame for the sake of being with others and was much more powerful than before. As a mere second-class spirit user, her growth was amazing.

"Hmm."

As it was, Kuvar looked at the three for a while and then looked at the last member of the group. He still gave off a gentle yet charming impression, but the softness and indecisiveness he used to have when they had first met had been blown away by the winds of time and experience.

In a way, it was no exaggeration to say that he was the center of the four… a hero among heroes, Airn Pareira.

Just staring at him, Kuvar thought.

'…I think I finally know.'

Actually, Kuvar was quite concerned about Airn's condition. It wasn't just him. Anyone who had a knack for spirits was feeling the same way.

They felt it.

The five energies that had been flowing in a circle of coexistence were no longer connected. Water, fire, land, metal, and tree… the connection between all of them had disappeared suddenly.

But it was a misunderstanding.

They hadn't disappeared. It wasn't as widely felt as the time of the Warrior's Festival, but Airn still had that energy within him. Kuvar closed his eyes as he felt the harmony of the young man.

His vision, which had initially soared high, soon went down, and he saw a flower blooming at Airn's feet.

'He has grown.'

It was pretty and cute, but it looked much thinner compared to the giant tree Airn had in the past.

When he first realized it, he was disappointed. He was worried that the strong force of the hero had broken down.

Right.

But it was such a futile concern.

Just because they saw a flower instead of a huge tree, its value did not fall. Rather, it was a more meaningful existence to some people. Kuvar realized it a bit late, and it felt like Airn's growth, which had been stagnant for so long, had risen up.

But it didn't matter much.

He sent off the heroes by donning the tough expression of the Orcs.

It wasn't just him.

The priests who prayed for the peace of the continent. Georg and Anya who wished for Ignet's safe return. The families of the four heroes who would be decorated in history books… they were all there.

The four of them didn't look back, though.

Because this wasn't going to be the last time they saw any of them. Compared to the things which would happen in the future, the present was close to nothing.

Ilya Lindsay

Bratt Lloyd

Judith

And Airn Pareira

Woop!

They were greeted by a foreign land as soon as they entered through the rift.

** *

'…all alone.'

Judith, who had stepped inside, looked around. However, she couldn't feel her friends' auras. She frowned at it.

This wasn't unexpected, however. Although they had been told that everyone would be able to enter the rift safely, she was always assuming the worst to happen.

Of course…

'This is more disgusting than I thought.'

Leaving the human world…

How painful would it feel to walk out from the world you were born and raised in to step into a different dimension?

However, there was a difference between knowing it and feeling it.

She wasn't sure if this place was dark or bright… she didn't know where left or right was.

Things that had been natural for her were now shaken. Because of the brutality of the crack in space that shook the foundation of humans, it presented a suffering incomparable to the mental attacks from Yprene Slick.

'Ignet… in this place for a year…'

Fortunately, there was only one place she had to go to in this space which was full of chaos.

Judith focused. She faintly felt a string connect. It was the energy of Ignet.

The sorcery of the Black Knight Commander who had led them here… this was proof that she was still alive.

Judith nodded and walked forward.

"…"

However, it soon changed direction to a different side. The reason was unknown.

It wasn't logical or rational. In fact, Judith couldn't understand it at all. She had to follow this string of sorcery to rescue Ignet and take down the Demon King.

Right.

But it simply wasn't possible.

She strongly felt that she shouldn't move in this space. She wondered whether she could trust her instincts.

'Please, be the right choice….'

Pat.

The speed of Judith moving through space increased.

Step Step

Ilya Lindsay took a few steps forward.

It wasn't easy to maintain her posture in a space where she had to doubt everything, but she didn't waver. It was thanks to the advice of Dion Lindsay. The true master of the Sky Sword. The fear of this rift didn't have much effect on her.

Step step.

Ilya continued to move. It was as if she knew where she was moving.

However, it wasn't to Ignet or to the sorcery string Judith was following.

It was a sense comparable to that… another sorcery string. A string formed by the relationship that had been established from their births.

It was said that heaven's punishment would fall on those who tried to cut off this string.

However…

Nevertheless, this was something she had to end with her own hands.

Finally, the silver-haired swordsman stood in front of another silver-haired swordsman.

"…"

No, his hair was no longer silver. His hair, which should have been soft like the moonlight, was now grey.

…besides that, many other things had changed. There was no smile or warmth on his face.

She couldn't find the bright clear eyes she remembered. The eyes Ilya saw were dark and terrible.

It was much more than she thought…

Shhh!

Wooong!

Ilya didn't collapse or step back this time.

It was as if she had already known… as if she had already been anticipating the worst.

A sword floated up, and her hands didn't seem to shake in the slightest as she held her other sword.

Woong!

The swordsman wielded his own sword, which had turned dark, and took his stance. The sword exuded a black aura and seemed to have some slimy flesh around it. A terrible pressure came from it. In that atmosphere, the two people paid attention only to each other.

The Clown Devil aimed for that moment.

Taking advantage of this, he moved his body more secretly.

It was around the time when the distance between them had narrowed significantly that the Clown thought to itself.

'Even though I am hiding in the crack…'

'Even though she is so focused on her opponent…'

'Is this right?'

'I am this close, but she doesn't realize it?'

'This strong woman?'

'Or is she aware?'

'Is there someone else?'

'Is that why she doesn't care about me?'

'Why?'

'Maybe…'

'The reason is…'

"Uh?"

Kwakwakwakwang!

Before the Clown could even think straight, waves of aura assaulted him.

The Clown was unaware of where it had originated from, but it moved like a tidal wave and swept through the Devils.

"Ughhhhh," the Clown Devil screamed as it moved.

Either way, Ilya's expression didn't change.

She didn't forget to thank her helper, though.

"Thanks, Bratt."

'For allowing me to take this on.'

Her two swords moved for her brother.

"Ahhhhh!"

The waves crashed into the Devils repeatedly. The endless waves of aura broke the limbs of the Devils.

Although the Devils thought they would be fine because they had the advantage in numbers, they weren't. Sure, their bodies were fine, but the instant Bratt pulled the waves of aura away from their bodies, the shock they experienced was too much. The distance between them was so wide that even the Clown Devil wasn't sure how he had been pushed so far. So, plans number 1 and 2 had failed.

But even more shocking was the humans had appeared much faster than the expected time.

And…

"You pitiful devil who cannot take off your mask because of your ugly face."

"…"

"Bratt, who has a face that is as good as his swordsmanship, will deal with you."

"You…. You crazy bastard!"

…they turned out to be stronger than expected.