Volume 2 Chapter 42 The One Who Stands At The Pinnacle Of The Human Race
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Ugh…” Tiet groaned, her lips pressed tight.
Steam hissed into the sky, thick and hot. A blast of flame rushed through the narrow street, too wild to belong in a human town. The stone ground boiled with heat, glowing red like it had been pulled from a forge.
”What’s wrong? Thought it wasn’t a big deal, being a hero’s buddy,” Gildegant said, her voice teasing from high above.
”…You,” Tiet muttered, locking eyes with her.
The fire danced wildly. Wood, cloth, anything that could burn was already gone. What remained was a world painted in red and brown. Tiet stood still, sword in hand, face tight with frustration. Her mind raced, looking for a way to change the flow—but nothing came. All she could do was stare up at the sky.
They were northwest of Alvenia, near the line where the harbor met the homes. It was nearly evening. People would still be walking these streets—at least, they had been, before all this started. Now the area was a battlefield: one of the Demon Lord’s Four Generals versus a single Holy Knight.
”If it’s really no big deal,” Gildegant called out, her voice lazy, “then how about you come up here? I’ll wait.”
”Hah. Sorry to disappoint, but I’m no sky-dancer,” Tiet shot back, keeping her blade low.
Gildegant floated above, smirking. One hand glowed with fire. She hurled it down like she was tossing a bucket of hot oil.
Tiet lowered her stance, sword ready.
The red-hot flames dropped like molten rain. Tiet waited. She narrowed her eyes. When the fire came close enough to strike, she let her magic surge, pushing it through her whole body, focusing it into the blade. With a sharp swing, she slashed the sky.
The flames split clean in two. Most of it vanished in the burst, only a few weak sparks falling behind. The street below, once filled with life, had long since emptied. The townspeople had run during the first few minutes of the fight. Now, fire ruled the street. But Tiet stood firm, ignoring the heat. Her eyes stayed locked on her enemy.
”Still standing, huh?” Gildegant said, her voice echoing from above. “Why not jump up already? I’ll knock you back down again.”
”You come here,” Tiet answered, her voice low. “I’ll cut you to pieces.”
”Aw, don’t pout,” Gildegant teased, her tone sharp. “You’ve been sulking like that for a while now. Acting spoiled won’t save you, little knight. Doesn’t it feel sad, begging while your attacker watches?”
”…Tch,” Tiet hissed through her teeth.
This was bad. No matter how she looked at it, the situation leaned far in Gildegant’s favor. The enemy attacked from above, throwing flames from a safe spot in the air. Tiet could leap up, sure—but Gildegant could dodge and counter before she even landed. No matter how much she tried to read her movements, it only ended in near-misses and minor wounds. No real damage dealt yet.
”This is bad,” Tiet muttered under her breath. “Everything’s on her side. I can’t push forward, and there’s no gap to break through…”
Still, she didn’t give up. This wasn’t her first time fighting someone who could fly. It was normal for top magic-users like Elna to have flight skills. The real problem wasn’t that.
It was the location.
They were still in the middle of town.
”Alright, alright,” Gildegant called with a grin. “Let’s keep the show going.”
She raised both hands now. Balls of flame began to form—many of them, small and fast. They spun in the air like fireflies made of hate. She didn’t chant, didn’t pause. These weren’t normal spells. This had to be a Unique Skill—flames made from her will alone.
So many…
Dodging’s easy, right? But what then?
If Gildegant had used anything other than fire, maybe this would be different. If they weren’t in a town, maybe Tiet could’ve rushed her already.
At the start, she had leaped and struck, again and again. But then she noticed—the fire kept spreading each time she jumped. Every attack made the fires grow, reaching farther into homes and shops. Places where people lived.
She couldn’t let it happen again.
So she stayed grounded.
For their safety, she chose to endure.
The fireballs rained down. This time, they didn’t float—they came fast, sharp, like rocks thrown by a giant hand. But Tiet wasn’t slow. She stepped through the flames with precision, slipping between each one.
Above, Gildegant watched with a grin. Tiet looked up after dodging the final blast, her jaw tight.
Still no attack she could follow up on. Still just waiting.
And in the end, Gildegant could retreat anytime she wanted. If her magic ran dry, she could leave.
Tiet couldn’t.
She was trapped here. Alone.
”Hahaha! This is rough, huh?” Gildegant called, laughing. “You can run, you know! I’ll just tell everyone the hero party’s swordswoman ran off with her tail between her legs from mighty Gildegant!”
Tiet clenched her teeth and glared up. Her sword hand tightened.
She hated this. She hated standing here, doing nothing. She hated letting this enemy taunt her while flames ate up the streets below.
She gripped her blade harder.
Maybe she should charge. Maybe damage was a price she had to pay. If she went all out, she could catch Gildegant within minutes. It might burn the rest of the area—but was that the right trade?
”…Still nothing,” Gildegant muttered, frowning. “Tch. Did Suzette get caught? Or is she dead already?”
Her voice was sharper now. She squinted, eyes filled with sudden anger. She said something else—but the distance was too far. Whatever it was, she didn’t look happy.
Could something have gone wrong on her side?
Could this be the opening Tiet had waited for?
”…Ugh, getting bored now,” Gildegant sighed, brushing her hair back. “Guess I’ll just finish it. Even a brat like you counts as a hero’s ally. Might as well crush you while I’m here.”
Gildegant raised her hand high, and a ball of fire formed above her palm. At first, it was no bigger than a fist—but it grew fast. Within seconds, it swelled large enough to swallow a full-grown person. A burning sphere, pulsing with heat.
Even from far away, the twisted, wild flames inside it could be clearly seen. If that thing dropped now, it would tear the land apart. Fixing the damage would take ages.
”…Coward,” Tiet said, her voice low.
”Haha. Say whatever you like,” Gildegant said, smirking. “In battle, the winner’s always right. Only fools care about fairness.”
She stretched her arm forward and pointed at Tiet.
It’s coming, she thought. I can dodge—but I have to guard the ground too.
Could she really slice through that thing with just her sword?
She forced her thoughts to move fast.
But it was massive. Could she truly stop it all? If she failed, the street—or even the town—would end up in flames.
She was trapped.
If only one of the hero party came now—
”Take this!!” Gildegant shouted as she let it go.
The fireball slammed into the ground. BOOM. A wall of heat swept out in every direction, charring the world around it—rushing straight toward Tiet.
”──Not happening,” a voice cut through the air.
A flash of light tore across the sky—clean and sharp.
”Whoa?!” Gildegant gasped.
With a single slash, the fireball was split in two.
Gildegant twisted just in time, barely dodging the burst that followed. Her quick move proved why she stood among the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Lord. Even a surprise hit hadn’t fully caught her.
Some of her hair had been sliced—small strands floated down.
The fireball vanished. The attack had failed.
Seeing the change instantly, Gildegant dropped her weight and braced herself for what was next.
”Anna!” Tiet called out.
”Tiet. Sorry I was late,” Anna said as she landed.
Her black hair shimmered softly, and her bright blue eyes gleamed like glass. She wore simple, light armor that moved easily with her body.
This was the ally they’d been hoping for.
The chosen one of the gods. The hero. Anna.
”Looks like this one’s one of the Demon Lord’s Four Heavenly Kings,” she said, calm and steady. “Fire and flight. And not much for manners.”
”…Understood,” Tiet replied. “I’m a bad match. I’ll stay low. Handle her once she closes in.”
Anna gave a short nod, already reading the whole battle. Tiet stepped back, lowering her sword.
”I can do it alone.”
”There’s no battlefield where Anna loses. That kind of enemy isn’t enough.”
”Hah… Another sword-freak?” Gildegant said, grinning. “Don’t tell me—you’re the hero?”
She looked overjoyed, like a strong rival had finally stepped onto the field. Fire flickered up around her arm again.
But Anna’s face stayed blank, cold as stone.
She bent her knees slightly—
And jumped.
A clean, direct strike was coming.
Gildegant’s brow twitched. The move surprised her—but not so much she couldn’t react. She called up flames to meet the attack.
But—
”──Hmm?”
Anna shot straight toward her, cutting through the air.
Even as the fire rushed to meet her, she didn’t blink. She didn’t flinch. Then—right before Gildegant’s eyes—Anna vanished. Her body faded into tiny specks, like dust blowing in the wind.
”──What?”
Gildegant blinked, stunned. What just happened?
She looked around quickly—but saw no sign of Anna.
Below, Tiet stood quietly, arms crossed, her eyes on the sky.
Confusion gripped her chest.
The person she was fighting had just… disappeared. It looked like her body had broken apart and faded into dust.
And the flames? They didn’t touch her. In fact, the moment they should’ve hit, they scattered and died out. What in the world was going on?
”──What is this?!”
As Gildegant froze in place, something strange began to swirl in front of her. A mist. No—dust. It moved oddly, like it had a will of its own, and it drifted toward her.
She couldn’t understand it.
But her instincts screamed: danger.
”──This, this thing!!” she yelled, leaping high to dodge it.
She didn’t know what she just avoided—but she did avoid something. That cloud of dust had shape. It had will. And it was reaching for her.
Could that be Anna’s attack?
Magic? Or something special?
If it was a Unique Skill… then she had to run. Everyone knew that kind of ability hit hardest the first time it showed up. If she didn’t know what she was fighting, the only smart move was to escape. That was how you lived.
She had to fall back now. Or she’d die.
Making her choice, she turned and flew toward the harbor. With the enemy so hard to see, she didn’t even know if she was being chased.
”Got you.”
A voice whispered beside her ear.
There was no one there.
Just air, space, and sky.
But still—the sound of someone’s voice.
”──Gah?!”
A hand burst out.
From her own body.
From her gut.
It exploded through her stomach from the inside, ripping its way out like a ghost claw, fingers stretched as if trying to strangle the air.
”Gyaaahh?!!” she screamed, pain flooding her mind.
Blood splashed into the sky.
Blindly, not even thinking, Gildegant threw fire at the hand—trying to burn it away.
But the flames didn’t work. The hand didn’t burn.
And then, right before her eyes, it crumbled into dust and faded.
”Ugh?!”
A terrible sound came next.
From her left arm.
The feeling—it was like something she remembered from long ago. The sick numbness in her leg back then.
She turned her head in a panic. Dust had wrapped around her arm. Thick. Solid. Shaped like a hand.
CRACK.
It grabbed her limb—and squeezed.
”Gugaaaahh!!!” she roared, nearly losing her mind.
That’s when it hit her.
That dust—it was the hero.
The hero’s power turned her body into dust.
And that dust was attacking her from inside and out.
”Mo-monster!!” Gildegant screamed, and with the last of her strength, she released her magic in a violent burst.
She let it out—igniting it, spreading it—then swiped her hand through the air. Flames wrapped her entire body like armor, and in that blazing shell, she launched herself into the sky, flying away from the town at full speed.
This time, it wasn’t just to fight. It was to flee. To live.
Dust. Sand. Mist.
She turned her body into fine particles, impossible to see with the eye. It slipped inside her body like smoke, aiming to destroy him from within. she had never heard of such a way to fight. No human should be able to do this. To make the body so small it vanishes… and use it to kill?
This wasn’t human.
This was a monster.
”No. I won’t let you escape,” a voice said.
Those words stabbed into Gildegant’s ears like a curse.
For a brief moment, she turned her head toward the voice.
Even while flying faster than a horse could ever run, she scanned the area behind him. In the corner of her vision—dozens of meters away—he saw the dust swirl together, starting to form a shape.
A neck. Then arms. Then the outline of a woman.
The one she fought earlier.
Her body was putting itself back together. Piece by piece.
It was sickening. No normal human could look at that and think they were the same kind. But even as she tried to deny it, when her blue eyes appeared once more, she knew—those eyes called death.
”Damn it,” she growled.
No time to dodge. she was done for.
Her gaze alone could kill. It was madness, but her instincts knew it was true. her mind shouted that it was over—but her body didn’t stop.
She twisted himself, jerking her upper body to the side, trying to slip out of her line of sight.
A second later, heat exploded in the air she had looked at.
”──Ah!”
No sound came from her mouth.
It was too fast. she couldn’t react. The flames around him vanished in an instant, blown apart by a blast of wind. her left arm crumbled like ash, turning black and then disappearing into dust.
A heat ray.
The building behind him melted in a heartbeat. Another large building exploded from just the pressure. Fire spread, even reaching the sea in the distance. It was like the world had broken.
Gildegant fell.
Not to the ground, but into the ocean.
Blasted all the way to the sea by the wave of heat, she crashed down. Her thoughts wobbled, but she forced herself to stay awake. Maybe this was luck. She could still teleport.
Meanwhile, Tiet, who had chased after the scene,
was left completely behind, only able to watch the battle’s end. She already knew Anna would win. Even so, she had chased after her.
At the very edge of her sight, she saw a figure flying far away, too fast to follow. It looked unreal. Still, she rushed forward—and there, Anna landed.
”Use a sword,” Anna said calmly, her voice cutting through the smoke.
Tiet understood what she meant at once, and silently stepped back.
Then, in her hand, a sword appeared.
No—that wasn’t a sword.
It was a huge pair of scissors, big as a person.
So ugly, so strange, calling it deformed wasn’t enough. The blades had bumps like crying faces. The back side was lined with sharp teeth, like it would tear apart anything that touched it. Thick, metal-like veins ran through the weapon, making it feel alive.
Anna called it the sword of justice or something.
But it wasn’t a sword.
And it didn’t feel like justice.
Whether it was her taste or some blessing from the gods, Tiet didn’t know. But inside, she flinched.
Without caring what Tiet felt, Anna opened the scissors.
This was the hero’s sword, given by the gods. It moved with her will. The blades didn’t aim at the air—they locked directly onto her target.
Slash!
With no pause, Anna closed the scissors.
They cut through empty air—but a strange sound echoed, wet and sharp, like flesh being sliced.
Nothing was there. Yet the blades dripped with something red, like blood.
”Did you defeat it?” Tiet asked.
”…? No…” Anna murmured.
Her sword had cut through the space the enemy was in. Tiet was sure of that.
But Anna looked unsure.
Did it escape? Was it teleported at the last second?
”Huh? Seriously?” Tiet asked, brows furrowing.
Teleportation. Maybe from a scroll or tool.
If the enemy was a high-ranking Demon Lord, it wouldn’t be strange for her to have a way to get back to the Demon Continent. The final blow had been just a little too late.
”No choice. Tiet, are you okay?” Anna asked, turning toward her.
”Ah, I’m completely fine,” Tiet replied.
She hadn’t been hit. So, no injuries. Anna looked fine too. She never seemed to get hurt anyway.
”I think she’s probably trying to stop the fire in the city. I’ll head there,” Anna said, glancing back. “Tiet, please go to Hermine. Can you explain everything?”
”Understood. I’ll let them know,” Tiet replied with a nod.
As a hero, Anna made the right call.
She left at once. Though the town was mostly made of stone, much of it still used wood. The damage could be serious. Her decision was wise.
Still, part of Tiet wished she had stayed.
”After losing so badly and standing here alone, I feel pathetic,” she said with a sigh.
She didn’t lose in the purest sense. But it felt like defeat. She was simply outmatched. Maybe even if she fought forever, she couldn’t win.
”Even so… Anna is amazing,” she muttered.
Hero Anna.
She called herself the messenger of Goddess Teekua. Of all people Tiet had met, she was the only one she admitted was stronger than herself. She might be the strongest human alive.
Tiet herself had never lost a fight. She was an S-rank adventurer—one of the very few. But compared to Anna, she wasn’t even a rival.
Anna stood far above.
Truly chosen.
”And now there’s a fool being chased by that savior, Klock,” she muttered. “If you ever get the chance to speak with her—do it with care. Because…”
No one in this world could match Anna.
Her voice faded into the wind.
Her Premonition told her that Adelina, the one who parted ways with her earlier, was now far across the sea.
This time, it would be a real goodbye.
If they met again… who could say when?
Tiet felt something twisting in her chest. She pushed it down, ignored it, and ran toward her allies in the Imperial City.
Notes:
• Tiet – A companion and friend of Anna. A holy knight from the royal capital. She wears light armor and carries a shield adorned with a dragon holding a sword, indicating her affiliation with the National Military Police. She is concerned about Anna’s well-being and tries to support her emotionally.
• Gildegant – One of the Four Generals of the Demon Lord. Flame General.
• Alvenia – The imperial capital of the Dusselhelm Empire, located at the northernmost point of the continent. A flourishing city known for its many magic research institutes. It is a central hub but considered dangerous for Tiet and his companions due to Hermine’s influence.
• Elna – Female. A young apprentice mage. Her appearance is that of a child with white hair reaching her shoulders. She wears a black hooded mantle with strange patterns. Her relationship is as an apprentice to Hermine, the Great Mage. Her power involves advanced magic, including spatial teleportation. Her combat style is magical, and she is described as childish and easily provoked.
• Suzette – The older maid from Viscount Fennec. The head maid at the Viscount Fennec’s villa. She is confident, clear-spoken, and professional.
• Anna – The legendary Hero, chosen to defeat the Demon Lord. Her past life is Sylvia Croce. She is described as a heavenly being with overwhelming skill and a merciless attitude.
• Hermine – A companion and friend of Anna. The mage. She is pragmatic and encourages Anna to focus on her duties as a hero rather than her personal revenge.
• Goddess Teekua – The deity who saved Sylvia after her death and granted her rebirth as a hero.
• Adelina – The slave girl.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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