Chapter 4 (Part 2)

"Ngh..."

"Suzu-chan!"

"Suzu!"

Suzu groaned and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was her two best friends, Kaori and Eri, looking happily down at her. It took her a few seconds to fully regain consciousness, but eventually her mind cleared up enough that she could speak.

"T-This is an unfamiliar ceiling."

"Suzu, we know you're a comedian at heart, but maybe you should lay off the jokes until you're feeling better."

Her voice came out as a hoarse croak. Shizuku had rushed over the moment she'd heard Suzu awaken. She was both impressed, and somewhat exasperated that Suzu would try to crack jokes even in this situation. She pulled off her leather canteen and brought it up to Suzu's lips.

Suzu greedily gulped down the water.

"I feel like I've just come back to life, literally," she exclaimed as she finished drinking. After that, she unsteadily rose into a sitting position. Kaori and Eri hurriedly supported her.

It was so very like Suzu to act cheerful even after she'd just recovered from near-fatal wounds. Her bright demeanor lifted the spirits of her classmates.

However, despite her forced cheerfulness, Suzu's face was still pale. She'd burned through much of her mana with that last barrier, and she'd lost a lot of blood. There were dark circles in her eyes, and her smile was strained. It was a testament to the strength of her will that she managed a smile at all. Both Shizuku and Kaori really respected Suzu for this very reason.

"Suzu-chan. You should rest for a bit longer. Your wounds have closed up, but you lost a lot of blood..."

"Ah, so that's why I'm feeling so dizzy~ I can't believe that horrible demon could do such a horrible thing to my fair skin... She pierced right through me. Hey, don't you think that'd make for a great line in porn?"

"Suzu! You're a girl, don't say such vulgar things!" Eri blushed as she reprimanded Suzu. Nomura and Nakano, who were nearby, snorted with laughter, but Shizuku's stern glare shut them up.

"Suzu, I'm glad you're finally awake. We were really worried about you."

"Hey, you alright? You're white as a sheet."

Kouki and Ryutarou came over to check up on Suzu as well. Both of them were smiling tiredly.

Kouki especially had expended himself a great deal in the earlier battle. Fortunately, the after-effects of using Limit Break had finally begun to fade, and he was feeling a little better.

"Morning, Kouki-kun, Ryutarou-kun! So everyone managed to run away safely, then? Let's see, everyone looks fine... Wait, is it just me, or are we missing someone?"

"Oh, you mean Endou. We told him to escape ahead of us. Since he's the stealthiest out of all of us, we thought he might be able to slip through the floors unnoticed..."

Suzu glanced around the room, making sure all of her classmates were accounted for. Kouki explained everything that had happened since Suzu fell unconscious. Kondou and Saitou had been unpetrified some time before Suzu had woken up, so they'd already heard his explanation.

"I see. A lot happened while I was unconscious, huh... Oh yeah, thank you so much, Kaorin! It's thanks to you that I'm still alive!"

"Healing's my job, Suzu-chan. I only did what anyone would do. You don't have to make such a big deal about it."

"Man, you're even cooler when you act all stoic like that! Will you marry me?"

"Suzu... you'll just scare her if you propose while you're still paler than a ghost. I really think you should rest for a bit longer."

Suzu clung to Kaori, while Eri scolded her. Shizuku was waiting on standby to stop her by force if she went too far. In a way, it was business as usual for the four girls. Everyone else was worrying about the possibility that they might never see the light of day again, but these four girls were acting the same as always. Seeing them act so composed helped calm the other students down.

Unfortunately, someone had to go and ruin the atmosphere just as everyone was starting to look up.

"What are you guys smiling about? Nothing's changed! We could still die at any minute! If you've got time to be cracking jokes, how about you think of a way out of this mess!" Kondou yelled at Suzu. Next to him, Saitou glared angrily at everyone.

"Come on, Kondou. You don't have to put it like that. Suzu was just trying to cheer everyone up..."

"Shut up! You don't have any right to talk to me like that! You... You lost! Thanks to that, I nearly died! Goddammit! Hero my ass!"

Kouki tried to calm Kondou down, but his words just added fuel to the fire. Kondou snapped, lashing out at Kouki this time.

"Bastard... Do you know why you're still alive right now? It's 'cause Kouki risked his life to make an escape route!" Ryutarou started yelling back, but Kondou wasn't willing to back down.

"If you'd done your job and won, we wouldn't have had to run away in the first place! Besides, anyone could tell that we were at a disadvantage! You should have just pretended to take the demon up on her offer and then killed her later! But no, you just had to act all noble and start fighting! This is all your fault!"

Kondou rose to his feet and stared Ryutarou down. Saitou and Nakano stood up as well, backing him up.

"Ryutarou, it's fine. You're right, Kondou. And I'll take responsibility for my failure. Next time, I won't lose! We know what those monsters are capable of, so we won't get caught by surprise again. Next time that demon comes, we'll win!" Kouki sounded confident, but Saitou wasn't convinced. He turned to Kouki and muttered something darkly.

"But last time, you couldn't win even with Limit Break."

"T-True, but... I-I'll win this time!"

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because this time, I'll use Divine Wrath. As long as you guys can protect me while I'm casting..."

"But if you start casting such a long spell, the demon'll know something big's coming, won't she? She's sure to do something to stop it. Besides, we don't even know if that was her entire army or if there's more monsters."

No matter how Kouki tried to reassure them, Kondou and his friends had lost faith in his strength. They began complaining one after another.

Living with the constant fear of death had eroded their composure. It was inevitable that they'd try to push the blame onto Kouki and start demanding he provide proof that he could win against those ridiculously strong monsters.

Ryutarou's aggressive response only served to fan the flames of their resentment. Tsuji and Yoshino tried to break up their argument, but they only succeeded in worsening the situation.

Finally, it got to the point where Ryutarou and Kondou raised their weapons at each other. Nervous tension filled the atmosphere. Kouki put a hand on Ryutarou's shoulder, trying to hold him back, but the blood had rushed to Ryutarou's head now, so he simply glared angrily at Kondou, fists raised. Kondou glared back, his spear at the ready.

"Everyone, calm down! Whether you like it or not, Kouki's our only hope of making it out of this alive! We need his Limit Break to have any chance of taking down that demon. There's no way she's going to let us go, and he's the only way we can kill her. Why can't you get that through those thick skulls of yours?" Shizuku tried to reason logically with Kondou and the others, but they weren't in any mood to listen. Suzu even staggered to her feet and apologized to Kondou, but that didn't help either. Just as Kaori was thinking the only way to get everyone to cool their heads was to bind the lot of them, she heard a low growl from outside the room.

"Grrrr..."

"Huh!?" Everyone present recognized that voice. They all froze, their frustration transformed into fear in an instant. Everyone knew what those monsters were capable of. They held their breath, afraid even the slightest noise would alert the monsters to their presence. Their eyes were glued to the hidden entrance to their room.

Claws scratched against the wall. Someone gulped. Endou had erased all traces of their scent from the area as well, so monsters, even high ranking ones, wouldn't be able to find them that easily. That didn't stop everyone from breaking out in a nervous sweat, though.

The party wasn't anywhere near fully healed. Suzu especially was in no condition to fight. Kaori and Tsuji had taxed themselves to the limit to heal everyone, and had almost no mana left. The vanguard fighters had more or less made a complete recovery, but only half of the rearguard had enough mana to keep fighting. They were all out of mana potions too, so it'd be a few hours at least before they could be of any help.

The loss of Kaori, Suzu, and Tsuji would be especially hard to make up for. Everyone was hoping against hope that the wolves wouldn't find them. All that separated them from death was a single door.

After a few minutes of pawing the walls, the monsters finally turned around. Silence filled the room. No one relaxed until they were sure the monsters had left. Once they could no longer sense the monsters' presence, the students collectively breathed a huge sigh. Some of them fell to their knees in relief. Most of them were sweating buckets.

"If you'd kept arguing like that, they would have found us. For the love of god, just stay quiet until we're all healed at least."

"G-Got it..."

"W-We will..."

Shizuku wiped the sweat off her face. Kondou apologetically lowered his spear. Their close shave had given everyone a harsh wake up call.

Then, just as everyone started thinking they were safe...

"Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" The door to their hideout was blasted to pieces.

"Uwaaah!?"

"Kyaaaaaah!"

It was blown apart with such force that the rubble struck Kondou and Yoshino hard enough to send them sprawling to the ground.

Shimmering outlines informed the party that they'd been found by a pack of Chimeras, the one enemy they'd hoped to avoid facing.

"Everyone, get in formation!"

"Goddammit! How'd they find us!?" Kouki quickly gave out orders as he unsheathed his sword. Without hesitation, he charged forward. Kouki couldn't afford to let the monsters regroup. Chimeras were impossible to spot when they weren't moving. Ryutarou stopped at the entrance, determined to prevent even a single monster from getting into the room. However...

"Uwooooooooo!"

"Ngh!"

A Super Bulltaur slammed into Ryutarou with the force of a tank. Ryutarou grappled with it for a moment before being overpowered and pushed to the ground.

Dozens of cats with tentacles took that opportunity to dart into the room. They lashed out with their numerous tentacles, taking the rearguard by surprise. A barrage of tentacles headed toward Kondou, who was still standing dumbfounded at the same spot he'd been when their argument had ended. He desperately tried to fend the tentacles off with his spear, but there were too many of them. However, just as he was about to be turned into a living pincushion...

"Sacred Shields!"

"Sacred Shields!"

Thirty or so glimmering shields appeared in front of Kondou. They appeared at an angle, deflecting the storm of tentacles. Kaori and Suzu's instantaneous reactions, plus the fact that they were able to cast the spell with barely an incantation, were truly impressive. Together, they'd managed to put out thirty shields in the span of less than a second.

Still, because Suzu barely had enough strength to stand, and because Kaori was practically out of mana, their shields were more brittle than usual. One after another, the shields of light shattered. Even though they'd been summoned at an angle to deflect the tentacles and not take them head on, they still didn't have enough strength to endure the tentacles' onslaught. The ones directly in front of Kondou were repelled, but a few of the others made it through, heading straight for Nakano and Saitou.

They tried to dive out of the way, but as mages their physical stats weren't very good. Though they managed to avoid any fatal wounds, they still took a considerable chunk of damage. One of the tentacles grazed Nakano's shoulder, while another slammed through Saitou's thigh, pinning him to the ground.

"Shinji! Yoshiki! Fuck! Daisuke, back them up!"

"O-Okay."

Ever since they'd escaped, Hiyama had seemed lost in thought. Kondou hadn't said anything to him because he'd wanted to give him some space, but the time for contemplating had long since passed.

Kondou dragged Nakano and Saitou to Suzu's side. Though Suzu's physical condition was terrible, she'd recovered a considerable amount of her mana. He figured they'd be safest next to her. And because Kaori was next to her, she could heal them easier too.

"Kouki! Use your Limit Break and fight the monsters outside! We'll handle the ones in here!"

"But Suzu can barely move..."

"At this rate we'll just be overwhelmed! Please, you've gotta cut open a path for us!"

"Leave things here to me! No one's dying on my watch!"

"Got it! I'll be counting on you, then! Limit Break!" Kouki hesitated for a moment, but Shizuku and Ryutarou managed to convince him. He realized if he didn't do something soon, they'd all be dead.

This was his first time activating Limit Break twice in a day. As expected, it put a great deal of strain on his body. Normally, he could maintain Limit Break for around 8 minutes, but he suspected it wouldn't last that long the second time around. That meant he needed to focus on defeating the demon as fast as possible. He dashed out of the room at top speed.

When he emerged into the octagonal room, he was met with a disheartening sight. The demon was staring coldly at him, protected by a veritable army of monsters. A white two-headed raven sat on her shoulders.

He could feel his anger boiling up. She was the one who'd hurt his comrades. She was the one who'd had them hiding like cornered rats. And she was the one he needed to defeat if he wanted his friends to survive.

"Hmph, you certainly wasted a lot of my time. I'll have you know I have missions far more important than dealing with you..."

"Shut up! I'm gonna rip that arrogant tongue out of your mouth! Prepare yourself!" Kouki began chanting a short spell. Without the full incantation, he doubted his Divine Wrath could harm the demon, but he was confident it would at least be powerful enough to cut open a path. His sword began to glow.

The demon sneered at him. At her command, two of the Super Bulltaurs pulled something out from behind her. Kouki went slack-jawed when he realized what that "something" was. He was so shocked he even lowered his sword. Wide-eyed, he spoke in a trembling voice.

"M-Meld-san?" Indeed, what the Super Bulltaurs had dragged forth was Captain Meld. He was drenched in blood, and obviously on the verge of death. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that he was groaning occasionally, Kouki would have thought him already dead.

"Y-You bitch! Let Meld-san—!?" Kouki's anger overrode his common sense and he charged forward. Having predicted that would happen, the demon was already prepared for his attack. Just before he reached her, he found his way barred by a looming shadow. He looked up with a start and saw a massive fist bearing down on him with inhuman speed.

He instinctively held up his left arm to shield himself. The giant fist blasted through his puny arm with ease, then connected with Kouki's torso. Kouki felt like he'd just been hit by a truck. The blow sent him flying so far he slammed into the wall behind him. The force of the impact was large enough to leave a Kouki-shaped hole in the wall.

"Gaaah!" The air burst from his lungs and he slid to the ground in a pathetic heap. He slowly raised himself up with his remaining good arm, blood dripped from the corners of his mouth. That attack had been powerful enough to damage his organs.

From the looks of things, it had given him a concussion, too. His vision blurred as he looked up at what had hit him. A huge, three-meter-tall monster stood before him, its fist still outstretched.

The monster had the head of a horse with tusks, the torso of a man with four arms, and the lower half of a gorilla. It glared at Kouki with bloodshot eyes, steam billowing from its snout. This monster was on a completely different level from the ones they'd been fighting so far.

The horse-head monster retracted its fist and mercilessly charged Kouki. He stopped mere inches from Kouki's face and brought its hands down in a crushing blow.

Kouki, who was still on all fours, trusted in his instincts and rolled to the side at the last second.

The monster's fists slammed into the ground a second later, reddish-black

shockwaves spreading outward from the point of impact. The ground literally exploded, a huge crater forming where the monster's fists had struck.

This was this monster's special magic, Mana Burst. It was as simple as it sounded. It just created shockwaves of mana at the point of impact. However, just because it was simple didn't mean it wasn't powerful.

No longer reeling from his concussion, Kouki finally rose to his feet. Still, before he could do more than raise his sword, the horse-head monster was in front of him, swinging its fist down.

Kouki tried to block the blow with his sword, but his left arm was broken, and his right arm alone couldn't bear the impact. He was blown away once again, barely avoiding a fatal blow. He continued desperately defending against the monster's four arms, and the shockwaves that came from each Mana Burst. His movements grew duller, and he couldn't find a single opening to launch a counterattack.

"Ngh! How strong is this thing!? I'm even using Limit Break!"

"Graaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Even with Limit Break active, Kouki was being easily overwhelmed. If he kept defending, eventually he'd just be beaten down. And so, he steeled himself to take a few hits, then went on the offensive.

However...

"Ah!?" Before he could launch an attack, his legs gave out. His Limit Break's time limit was up. The recoil from using it twice in a short span of time was so great that he couldn't even stand anymore.

The monster mercilessly pressed its advantage. As Kouki sunk to his knees, it slammed its fist cleanly into Kouki's stomach. There was a massive boom as its fist connected.

"Gaha!" A spray of blood spewed from Kouki's mouth as he flew back into the wall. The strain from using Limit Break, plus the damage from that last attack was more than his body could handle. He fell to the ground, unconscious. The only reason he wasn't dead was because the monster had held back on its final attack.

It walked up to Kouki and gruffly lifted him by his collar. It presented the unconscious boy to its master, the demon. She nodded in satisfaction and recalled the monsters she'd sent into the students' hideout.

A few minutes later, Shizuku and the others cautiously stepped outside. They despaired when they saw a massive monster more powerful than anything they'd faced before staring them down, a defeated Kouki in one of its arms.

"No way... Kouki... lost?"

"Th-This can't be happening..." Shizuku cried out in disbelief.

Kaori and Suzu were too shocked to even say anything. They just stood there in stunned silence. Seeing that they'd all lost the will to fight, the demon coldly addressed the students.

"Hmph, I never thought it would be this easy. Looks like... you really were nothing more than overconfident brats after all. And here I was worrying I may have underestimated you." Pale-faced, Shizuku nonetheless bravely asked the demon a question.

"How did you do it?"

"Hm? With this. See, look." She nodded to Captain Meld, who was still held by the two Super Bulltaurs. When Shizuku spotted the half-dead knight, she realized instantly what must have happened. The demon had used Meld to distract Kouki and hit him with a sneak attack. Anytime Kouki saw someone he knew hurt, he was liable to lose his cool.

The demon must have realized that as well from their last battle. And so, she'd hidden her strongest monster with the Chimera's magic, and then baited him into range.

"So what do you want with us, then? There has to be a reason you didn't just kill us all when you had the chance."

"Yep. Looks like I was right, you really are the brains of this outfit. Don't worry, it's not some crazy request or anything. I just thought maybe I'd try inviting you guys over to our side one more time. Last time your little hero started waving his sword around before we could really talk. Unlike him, some of you actually seem pretty skilled, so I thought I'd ask again. Well, what do you say?"

A few of the students hesitated. Shizuku watched them out of the corner of her eye and asked her second question.

"What are you going to do with Kouki?"

"Fufu, you're a sharp one. Sorry, but I can't let your hero friend here live. I doubt he'll change his mind about switching sides, and you guys probably can't convince him to either, right? He's one of those guys who thinks he's better than everyone else, after all. He'll have to die here."

"I take it the same holds true for us if we refuse, correct?"

"Naturally. There's no way we can just let a future threat go, right?"

"Aren't you worried we'll go along for now and then just betray you later?"

"Of course. So, if you do agree, we'll be putting you on a leash. Don't worry. We'll just make it so you can't turn against us, but otherwise you're all free to do as you wish."

"So semi-free slaves, basically. We can do whatever we want as long as it's not attacking you guys."

"Bingo. Thank god at least one of you has a brain. Now, I recommend you use that brain of yours to make the logical choice, unlike your poor hero friend."

The other students listened to Shizuku and the demon's conversation, a mixture of unease and fear in their eyes. If they refused, they'd be attacked by the same monster that had easily defeated Kouki. They would almost certainly die. However, if they agreed, they'd be muzzled like dogs, unable to ever fight against the demons again.

In other words, they would no longer be "Ehit's chosen warriors." Even if they returned to Heiligh, they doubted the Holy Church would be willing to shelter a bunch of kids who were no longer useful for the war effort, which also meant they'd likely never get to return home. Either way, their future looked bleak. Finally...

"I-I think we should take her up on her offer!" Eri was the first to speak. Trembling, she voiced her opinion. Surprised, Shizuku turned to look at her friend. On the other hand, Ryutarou went red with rage, then rounded on Eri.

"Eri, you backstabbing bitch! You're just gonna abandon Kouki, huh!?"

"Hiii!?"

"Ryutarou, calm down! Eri, why do you think we should say yes?" Eri shrank back in the face of Ryutarou's wrath. Shizuku only just managed to restrain him in time. Eri took a deep breath and clasped her hands to her chest.

"I-I just... I just don't want everyone to die... I don't want Kouki-kun... to die either, but... Hic..." Tears began spilling from her eyes. Everyone else's hearts began to waver as well. Another one of the students backed Eri up.

"I'm with Nakamura. There's no way we can win. Our options are annihilation or survival. The choice should be obvious, right?"

"Hiyama... So you don't give a shit about what happens to Kouki, huh!?"

"What do you want us to do, Sakagami? Die together with Amanogawa? That's the only other option."

"No! That's not what I meant!"

"Then unless you've got a better plan, shut the hell up! Right now our priority is making sure as many of us get out alive as possible." Hiyama's words convinced even more of the students. Like he'd said, the only way to survive was to agree to the demon's conditions.

The only reason they hadn't agreed right away was because they'd felt guilty about abandoning Kouki just to save their own skins. They couldn't bring themselves to sacrifice him like that.

The demon saw that they were beginning to waver, and offered a compromise.

"Hmm... If leaving your hero friend to die is the only thing you're worried about... I don't mind letting him live. Granted, I'll have to put him on a much tighter leash than the rest of you. But if you want him to live, you all have to agree to defect." Shizuku quietly clicked her tongue. She'd predicted the demon might try and make an offer like that. If she'd really planned on killing Kouki, she could have just killed him after defeating him. There was no reason to put on this whole show.

That meant the reason she'd kept him alive was so she could use him as a bargaining chip. Their first fight with the demon must have impressed her enough that she still wanted them for her army. The reason negotiations had broken down last time was because of Kouki's self-righteous selfishness. Still, it was entirely possible the others weren't so stubborn, which was why she'd devised this plan to win over everyone else.

First, she'd kept Kouki alive so the students wouldn't hate her for killing one of their own. Second, she'd cornered the students into a choice between servitude and death. Third, she'd guided them into thinking submitting wouldn't be such a terrible idea, as long as Kouki somehow got out alive. Finally, she'd promised to spare him as well, removing the final obstacle. This way, the students wouldn't feel any guilt about choosing to surrender, making it seem like the only logical option.

This was despite the fact that there was no proof that she'd keep her end of the bargain. And it'd be too late for regrets if she killed Kouki after she'd collared all of them. That being said, it was still better than all of them dying here.

Even Shizuku, who had seen through the whole plot, was thinking agreeing would be for the best. As long as they could make it out of this situation alive, there was still some hope of saving Kouki.

It would be to the demon's benefit for all of them to switch sides here too, so it was possible she'd try and treat them well. After all, losing Ehit's chosen warriors would be a huge blow to the humans. Their best fighters would have defected. Their betrayal would undoubtedly leave the humans in despair. The demons could deal no greater blow to the humans.

Secondly, the students would be a huge boon to the demons' fighting force. This particular demon's primary mission was to clear the Great Orcus Labyrinth and obtain the godlike power said to be sleeping at its depths. So far, she'd easily been able to slaughter all the monsters she'd encountered, but there was no guarantee the lower floors would be as easy. She'd actually lost a good chunk of her fighting force to Kouki's party, so she wanted to replenish her ranks. Recruiting Shizuku and the others was the most efficient way to do that.

And from her point of view, that was achievable with minimum effort. Her plan had gone without a hitch so far, and at this rate they would capitulate soon. Her lips twitched into a faint smile.

But then, at the last second, her carefully laid plans crumbled.

"G-Guys... don't do it... Don't listen to her..."

"Kouki!"

"Kouki-kun!"

"Amanogawa!"

Kouki had finally woken up. Everyone's eyes were on him.

"She's lying to you... She killed... Alan-san and the others... Don't... trust her... She'll just make you into slaves... She'll make you fight against the humans... Run... Don't mind... me... Just... run..." Kouki would rather die than let his friends agree to a deal that was so obviously a trap. Even if there wasn't a sure chance of success, he hoped they would run instead. However, Hiyama shook his head.

"How many of us do you think will even get away? Wake up, Amanogawa! We've lost! It sucks that the knights died, but... well, they knew what they were getting into! Nothing we can do about it! Right now, we need to save as many of us as we can!" His voice echoed throughout the chamber. Hiyama couldn't believe Kouki refused to bend, even when it was obvious all hope was lost. All he was thinking about was how to make it out alive. In his mind, it didn't matter if everyone else died as long as he and Kaori survived. However, if they made a break for it now, it was likely they'd all die.

On the other hand, if he they defected to the demons, there was a chance he could show off his value and get appointed to a high-ranking post. If that happened, it was all but guaranteed that he could make Kaori his own. Especially if these "leashes" the demon was talking about could make someone do anything. As long as Kaori was his, he didn't care if she still had any free will of her own or not. He saw her as little more than an object.

Once again, the students wavered. Hiyama's words had swayed them, but they also respected Kouki.

Then, an unexpected voice chimed in with their opinion. It was a hoarse, barely audible voice, but everyone heard it clearly. It came from the person everyone respected the most in this world. The one they trusted to make accurate judgments no matter the situation. The one everyone saw as their role model. To many of them, his words were law. And this is what he said:

"Ngh... You kids... think only about how you're going to survive! Do whatever it takes to stay alive! I'm sorry... for dragging you all into our war... The more time I spent with you all... the more I came to regret relying on you to solve our problems... so please, live to make it home... Don't worry about us... From the start... this was our fight to fight!" Those weren't the words of Heiligh's knight commander anymore. They were the words of a single man, Meld Loggins. This was what he personally wished for, not what his job required of him. The reason he'd finally dropped his responsibilities was because he knew this was where he would die.

As the students all stared at him in shock, he squeezed out the last ounce of his strength and shook the Super Bulltaurs holding him off. His body began to glow with light and he threw himself at the demon.

"Demon... I'm taking you with me!"

"Wait, that's... Heh, planning on blowing yourself up? How very gallant of you. I must say, I'm actually rather impressed."

"Die!" The light grew to a blinding intensity. Meld looked just like Kouki did when he was using Limit Break, but upon closer inspection it became evident that the light was coming not from Meld's body, but from the pendant hanging about his neck.

The demon recognized the pendant, and praised Meld for his resolve.

The jewel inside the pendant was known as "Loyalty's Promise." It was a magical item that created a powerful explosion in return for the caster's life. All of the high-ranked members of the Heiligh Kingdom and Holy Church were aware of what it did. As the dark magic demons employed included spells that could read a portion of their target's memories, all powerful people within the kingdom carried one around with them. If they were ever to be captured, they could use it to kill themselves, and hopefully their enemy, and keep the demons from learning any valuable information.

The students called out to Meld when they realized what he was trying to do. The demon, however, who was the target of the attack, seemed wholly unconcerned.

Meld's jewel grew brighter and brighter. Just before it burst, the demon acted.

"Devour it whole, Absod." And just like that, the light coming from Meld's Loyalty's Promise vanished.

"Wha—!? How on earth!?" Strictly speaking, it hadn't vanished. It was being sucked away. He turned to the direction the light was going and saw a six-legged turtle with its maw open wide. That was what was sucking away Meld's final attack.

It seemed that monster's name was Absod. Its special magic was "Mana Absorption." It could absorb the mana of other people's spells and store it in its shell. However, it couldn't absorb multiple spells at once, nor could it transform the mana into anything else. All it could do was suck in a spell and fire it back out. Still, it was capable of sucking up even high level magic. It was the natural enemy of mages.

Soon enough, all the light from Meld's Loyalty's Promise had been sucked up, leaving it no more than a simple jewel. As he watched, dumbfounded, something suddenly slammed into Meld's torso. The impact wasn't all that strong. He looked down to see what had hit him.

There was a dull brown knife sticking out of his stomach. More specifically, a blade made out of sand had been thrust so deep into him that the tip was poking out of his back. Drops of blood dripped from its tip, staining the rock below.

"Meld-san!" Kouki coughed up blood as he called out to his mentor. Meld looked from his wound up to Kouki. "Sorry," he mouthed with a bitter smile.

The sand blade swung to the side, sending Meld flying. He hit the ground like a ragdoll, and lay unmoving where he landed. A pool of blood spread out from under his stomach. Everyone could tell the wound was fatal. It was a wonder he'd managed to move at all with the wounds he'd already had, but this time he really was done for.

Though she knew it wouldn't make it in time, Kaori still desperately tried to cast long-range healing magic. She succeeded in staunching the blood loss for a short while, but Kaori was out of mana too, and she didn't have the strength left to close the wound.

"Nooo! Please! Don't die!" Kaori was so drained of mana that she couldn't even stand, but she still continued casting without pause.

"I honestly didn't think he had enough strength left to stand, let alone pin me down. So this is what the kingdom's strongest knight is like. You've earned my respect. Unfortunately, you'll have to die here... This time, I'll be sure to finish you off. How about the rest of you? Is this as far as you all go as well?" The demon flung the blood off her sand-blade and stared at Kouki and the students. Most of the students were trembling in fear. This was the second time they'd seen someone close to them die. They knew in the back of their minds that unless they submitted, they'd be next.

Hiyama opened his mouth to accept, but someone cut him off before he could.

"...us." Kouki muttered something so quietly that it was barely audible. Even though he was in no state to do anything, there was a heavy pressure emanating from him. Hiyama swallowed the words he was about to say.

"Huh? What was that, you half-dead hero?" The demon scoffed at Kouki, certain the most he could do was whine like always. He lifted up his face and glared daggers at the demon.

She fell silent when she saw the look in his eyes. Possibly because his pupils had turned silver and were now glowing. The immense pressure he was radiating forced her to stagger backward. Her instincts screamed that whatever he was doing was dangerous. Now was not the time to worry about appeasing the other kids. She needed to kill the hero right away.

"Ahatod! Finish him!"

"Rwaaaaaaaaah!" The horse-headed monster, Ahatod, roared obediently. It activated its Magic Shockwaves and pounded on Kouki with two of its fists.

However, just as they reached him, Kouki's entire body was enveloped in a violent whirlpool of white light. It rose up to the ceiling, turning into a solid glowing pillar. He slammed his fist into the arm that was holding him, pulverizing it instantly.

"Raaaaaaaaaah!" Ahatod screamed in pain and dropped Kouki. With movements that seemed impossible given his current wounded state, Kouki followed up with a swift roundhouse kick.

There was a loud boom as his foot connected, and this time it was Ahatod that was sent flying into the wall. Ahatod tried to rise back to its feet, but it no longer had the strength to move. It lay there in the wall, struggling fruitlessly.

Kouki hopped from foot to foot and stretched his hand out. His sword responded to his call and flew back to him. He glared coldly at the demon. The giant pillar of light subsided, and Kouki's body began to glow even brighter than when he'd used Limit Break.

The dire situation had unlocked his full potential, and he'd learned Limit Break's only derivative skill, Overload.

While Limit Break only tripled someone's base stats, Overload multiplied them by five. Though, it also put even more of a strain on the body than Limit Break, forcibly drawing out every ounce of strength its caster possessed. At best, Kouki could maintain this state for 30 seconds. And the exhaustion that followed would be twice as debilitating.

Still, he was too angry to worry about any of that right at the moment. He let his wrath take over and charged the demon. His only thought was to get revenge for Meld. That was what was giving him the strength to remain standing.

The demon seemed flustered for the first time, and she hurriedly ordered her monsters to defend her. The Chimeras, cats, and Super Bulltaurs all rushed him as one. Claws, tentacles, and maces all descended upon him. However, Kouki didn't even bat an eyelid. He swept them all aside with a single stroke of his blade and continued charging the demon.

"You monster! How dare you kill Meld-san!"

"Tch!"

Kouki swung his sword down without a moment's hesitation. The demon clicked her tongue and transformed her sand sword into a sand shield, but Kouki's sword sliced through it like it was butter, and bit deep into the demon's shoulder.

The only reason she hadn't been sliced in half was because she'd had the foresight to leap back before Kouki's blow struck. Still, her wound was deep, and the shockwave from his attack had sent her flying backward.

She slammed into the wall and slumped to the ground. Kouki swung his sword from side to side as he advanced upon the demon.

"Unbelievable... I didn't think it was possible for you to make a comeback from that... If this is some kind of joke, I don't much like the punchline." This was as cliched as it got. The hero getting a sudden burst of strength just when everything was beginning to look hopeless. The demon's mouth curled up into a sardonic grin. She seemed resigned to her fate.

The white raven perched on her shoulder had started casting healing magic, but it was too late. She wouldn't recover in time to defend against Kouki's next attack. Realizing this was checkmate, the demon pulled out a small locket from her pocket.

Thinking she was planning on blowing herself up like Meld had been, Kouki hurriedly closed the distance between them. He didn't care if the demon died, but he didn't want his comrades caught up in the explosion. He needed to finish her off before she set off the bomb. However, the locket didn't have a Loyalty's Promise in it.

"I'm sorry, Mikhail... it looks like I'll be going on ahead of you... I love you..." Surprised by her words, Kouki hesitated for a second. He hadn't expected the demon to have a lover. Confused, the demon looked back up.She should have been dead by now, but Kouki's sword had stopped a few millimeters in front of her face.

Kouki stared at her dumbly. The two locked gazes for a few seconds. There was something in her eyes that made shivers run down Kouki's spine.

Seeing his hesitation, and guessing what had caused it, the demon sneered at him again. Her scorn shook Kouki even further.

"Pathetic. Did you only just realize that you're about to kill someone?"

"Ah!?" Up until that point, Kouki had been taught by Ishtar that demons were heartless and cruel, no better than monsters, really. In fact, he'd thought they were basically like an advanced form of monsters. The fact that they were using monsters to fight had only further cemented that idea in his mind. He had never considered that they might be just like people, that they had friends, lovers, parents, things they were willing to fight and die for. Rather, he hadn't wanted to consider that possibility, but when he'd seen the demon staring at her locket, Kouki had been forced to confront reality. The reality that who he was about to kill wasn't some heartless "demon," but a person with feelings just like him. Killing her, whether it was justified or not, would make him a murderer.

"To think you didn't even consider us people until now... Rather arrogant of you, don't you think?"

"N-No, I... I just didn't know..."

"Hmph... More like you didn't care to find out."

"I-I..."

"Well, what are you waiting for? I'm just another monster to be hunted down, right? Another soulless creature to be eliminated. Get it over with already. You've done this hundreds of times already."

"I-If we just talked things out... I-I'm sure we could..." Kouki lowered his sword. The demon looked at him with eyes full of contempt. By way of a reply, she gave out orders to her monsters.

"Ahatod, get the swordswoman! The rest of you, attack the others!" Ahatod had finally recovered enough to move. It dutifully got up and lumbered toward Shizuku. While Shizuku didn't possess the overwhelming charisma Kouki did, she was the one who always calmly analyzed every situation and came up with the optimal solution. In a way, she was the most dangerous member of the party.

That was why the demon had sent Ahatod after her, while the rest of the monsters kept the others at bay. She'd made up her mind. It would be better to kill them all here than try to bring them over to their side. Kouki's sudden power spike had proven too dangerous. He couldn't be allowed to live.

"What!? Why!?"

"You still don't get it, do you? We're at war, kid! An immature brat like you having so much power is a threat! That's why I have to kill you all. You better go save your friends or they'll all die!" The demon had no interest in negotiating anymore.

Kouki turned around just in time to see Shizuku get sent flying by Ahatod. Ahatod was far stronger than even the other monsters the demon had brought with her. Surprise attack or no, it had managed to overpower Kouki even while he was using Limit Break. There was no way Shizuku stood a chance.

Pale-faced, Kouki rushed over to Shizuku. With his body strengthened with Overload, he was able to block Ahatod's fists. Then, in one fluid motion, he cut off one of Ahatod's arms.

But before he could deal the finishing blow, he felt himself go weak at the knees once more. He pitched forward, unable to maintain his balance.

Overload's time limit was up. Taxed far beyond its limits, Kouki's body froze up. After using Limit Break twice in one day and then Overload right after, he didn't even have the strength to move.

"D-Dammit, why now of all times!?"

"Kouki!" Shizuku rushed forward, covering for Kouki. She aimed her slash at the wound Kouki had just created. Even a powerful monster like Ahatod couldn't endure having its wounds gouged out, so it backed away screaming. Shizuku took that opportunity to grab Kouki and retreat to the safety of their comrades.

Kouki was out of commission, and everyone had their hands full keeping the other monsters at bay. I'm the only one who can do it! Shizuku thought to herself. She glared coldly at the demon. Unlike Kouki, she was prepared to kill.

"Oh my, I see you're prepared to kill. You're more fit to be the hero than that spoiled brat over there." The white raven had finished healing the demon, and she slowly got to her feet.

"It doesn't matter who the hero is. It's our fault that we didn't realize he wasn't prepared to kill, but I'll rectify that mistake here and now!" Shizuku had known just how straightforward and naive Kouki was, and she'd known he'd never fought another person before. She blamed herself for leaving that problem alone until it was too late.

It wasn't as if Shizuku had any experience killing others either. Honestly, she didn't particularly want to experience it, either. However, she'd known that if they were fighting in a war, the day where she had to would come eventually. Ever since she'd first picked up a sword, she'd been taught about the weight of a life, and what it meant to hurt another person.

It finally seemed like the moment had come, but she could feel her resolve wavering. The reality of what she was about to do weighed heavily on her, and she felt like just curling up into a ball and crying. Still, she stamped down her feelings and resolutely stared down the demon.

She settled into her stance, then prepared to launch her fastest attack.

However, a second before she could, she felt shivers run down her spine. Trusting her instincts, she leaped to the side. Not even a second later, one of the cats' tentacles shot through the spot she'd been standing.

"I never said Ahatod was the only monster after you. Your resolve is admirable, but do you really believe you can kill me while evading your other foes?"

"Ngh!"

"And it's not like I'm going to just stand here doing nothing, either." As she said that, the demon began chanting a spell.

Thanks to her No Tempo, Shizuku's attacks couldn't be predicted. She continued fending off the waves of monsters that came after her, but she was unable to find an opening to close in on the demon.

The worst part was that Ahatod could match Shizuku's inhuman speed. Despite its massive frame, it was able to keep up with her. Every time Shizuku thought she was getting close, Ahatod would show up and blow her away with its fists.

Shizuku mainly relied on her agility in a fight, so her defense was paper-thin. Instead, she used only her speed to dodge and parry blows, but because Ahatod's Magical Shockwaves still hit her even if she dodged its fists, she kept on taking more damage. At this rate, it was a matter of time before she was beaten down.

Worse, every bit of damage she took dulled her movements ever so slightly. And in a battle as close as this one, that would be fatal.

"Gaaah!"

Finally, one of Ahatod's blows connected. Shizuku tried to parry with her sword and sheath, but its powerful fist smashed right through her weapons and into her shoulder.

She skid across the ground, coming to a stop a few meters away. Drained of all her strength, she lay there, unmoving. Her right arm was bent at an unnatural angle. It was clearly broken. The blow had done a number on her internal organs as well, and she was coughing up blood.

"Shizuku-chan!" Kaori cried out, but her friend simply lay there, her hands still tightly gripping her broken blade and sheath.

At that moment, thoughts about their current plight and the fact that she was completely out of mana vanished from her mind. Kaori knew she couldn't do anything even if she went to Shizuku's side, but all she could think about was how her best friend was in danger.

She ran toward Shizuku. Because she was completely drained of mana, her footsteps were unsteady, and she nearly tripped. Her comrades tried to stop her, but she didn't listen. Nothing was more important than Shizuku right now. Naturally, monsters swarmed toward the now defenseless Kaori.

However, walls of shining light rose up to block their path. The glowing barriers created an unbroken road toward Shizuku.

"Ehehe. No one wants to be alone at the end." Suzu had done the impossible. Though she was on the verge of fainting, she'd managed to create a wall of barriers stretching from her to Shizuku. There was a faint smile on her lips.

Suzu knew they were all going to die here.

And so, the least she could do was use the last of her magic to make sure her best friends didn't die alone. This, of course, meant her barriers protecting the rest of the party weakened. Suzu mentally apologized to the rest of her friends, but even if she'd done her best to fight, they were doomed.

A few attacks managed to get through and graze Kaori, but she was able to reach Shizuku more or less intact. She lifted Shizuku's limp body and held her close.

"K-Kaori... what are you doing... Hurry up and go back to the others. It's too dangerous for you to be out here."

"No. It's dangerous no matter where I go. If this is where it ends, I at least want to be by your side, Shizuku-chan."

"Sorry. I couldn't beat her."

"I'm sorry I can't do more either. I don't have any mana left."

Kaori smiled at Shizuku and cast a small spell to dull Shizuku's pain. It was such a basic spell that it cost practically no mana. Shizuku gripped Kaori's hand with her remaining good hand and smiled back.

A huge shadow covered the two of them. Ahatod had arrived. It stared down at the two girls with bloodshot eyes. With a ferocious roar, it raised all four of its fists.

Suzu's barrier was still protecting the two of them, but it may as well have been tissue paper in the face of Ahatod's immense strength. One blow would have been all that it would take to smash Suzu's walls to pieces, and the shockwaves would be enough to kill Kaori and Shizuku.

As she stared death in the face, memories of her life flashed through Kaori's mind.

So this is what they mean when they said your life flashes before your eyes when you're about to die. For some reason, Kaori felt extremely calm. The last thing to pass through her mind was that moonlit night she'd vowed to protect Hajime. She remembered every word they'd exchanged. The terrible taste of the tea he'd made. The way he'd smiled awkwardly when he'd suggested she protect him. It was only after he'd fell that she realized she loved him. She'd come this far because she'd believed he was still alive, but all of that was coming to an end.

"In the end, I couldn't keep this promise either." Tears spilled from Kaori's eyes. She'd hoped if they ever met again that they could start calling each other by their first names.

If this was going to be the end, she at least wanted the memory of having said his name at least once.

"Hajime-kun..."

And so, she resigned herself to her fate, but...

There was a thunderous crash, and the ceiling above Ahatod's head crumbled. A giant jet-black spike punched through the hole, red sparks running down its length. The spike smashed into Ahatod's head with considerable force. Ahatod never stood a chance. The spike tore through Ahatod like he was butter, destroying the monster that had caused Kouki and the others so much trouble with ease.

The spike drilled into the floor, Ahatod's ravaged body pinned to the ground by its 120 centimeter long length. The fearsome monster was barely recognizable.

Everyone present was stunned into silence. Kaori, Shizuku, Kouki, and even the demon stared blankly at the spike.

A silence unbefitting of a battlefield fell across the room. A single figure dropped from the hole in the ceiling, breaking the fragile silence.

He landed softly, his back facing Kaori and Shizuku. Carefully, he examined his surroundings as he kicked away bits of Ahatod's flesh. Then, he turned to face the two girls huddling behind him.

The moment Kaori locked eyes with him, she felt a shiver of electricity run down her spine. Ever since that fateful day, it had felt like her heart had been encased in a block of ice, but in an instant it had thawed, and now she could hear it pounding loudly in her ears.

"I see you two are as inseparable as always." Kaori could feel her heart bursting with joy.

His hair color was different. He looked like a different person. The way he talked was different. Even the look in his eyes was different.

But Kaori knew. She could tell instantly.

It was him. The person she'd been searching all this time for.

It was Hajime.

"Hajime-kun!"