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The hero swung his long sword, and I blocked it with my great sword, but he actually managed to push me away.

Damn it!

“To think that the first thing I would see when I woke up would be this comedy. What a great way to start the day! Ah, but I suppose it is a bit sad that it was actually a clown that’s been trampling over my people… I suppose I would have to make you pay for that; therefore, I shall trample over you, your body, and your heart. Fu fu fu fu fu fu ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!”

As my great sword was pushed back, my posture broke.

What is with this power!? My muscles screamed, but I mustered every bit of them to resist against the pressure.

It felt like I was fighting a giant.

“How was it? It was fun right? It was only a little bit, but you used my power, didn’t you? That’s why you were able to get this far.”

“What are you talking about!?”

I asked with a yell. At the same time, the slash I threw at him was easily repelled.

“That thing called Status. It’s a good information to have, right? But… Didn’t you think it odd that you could see it? Was there anyone else other than you that could see it?”

There was. Obviously. This was something taught to me by the old goblin.

“Of course there was!”

“Oh, really? Could that person really see the Status?”

“What are you trying to say!?”

“Did he tell you that you could learn your opponent’s strength by focusing, or did he tell you that you could see your opponents’ strength laid out perfectly before you in the form of a Status? Which was it?”

A deep smile brimming with confidence surfaced on him.

Now that he mentions it, what did the old goblin say exactly back then? I tried to remember, but it’s too dangerous to become thoughtful in front of this enemy.

“Remember and know for yourself!”

This time the wilted old man playing hero slashed upwards while in the Low Stance.

──Suppress it and reap his head.

With that split-second decision, I switched stance and tried to suppress his attack with my great sword, but the only result I got was to have my sword be sent flying into the air.

“What!?”

“You still don’t understand the difference in our strength? Ha ha ha.”

I should’ve been able to suppress his attack, but he sent me flying instead. The long sword, swung out as if it had no weight at all, returned to the hands of the brave man and was swung again at me, who was stuck in mid-air.

“Guu.”

I bit back a muffled scream and braced myself for the impact, then the hero drew a stroke and unleashed a shockwave to shot through my body.

He’s different from all the other humans I’ve fought. From start to finish, he’s done nothing but show me just how fundamentally different our gap in strength is and repeatedly continues to smash me into the ground.

“O world, exist for me.(Enchant)!””

Light gathered on the hero’s long sword. That was a power that operated on a fundamentally different principle than mine. My power would shoot ether as it gushed out, but that power gathered strength from his surroundings to strengthen his sword.

“You can run away in fear, you know.”

“Against you? Never!”

Black flames gushed out once again as though in response to my anger, then I put as much strength as I could into my grip. I stabbed the Black-Red Speckled Great Sword(Zweihander) into the ground, then held Black Flame Shimmering Great Sword(Flamberge) with both of my hands.

As I fixed my gaze on my sworn enemy, I kicked myself off the ground.

“Fine. I’ll play with you until you can’t move anymore,” the hero said.

I’ll make you regret provoking me so blatantly!

As I broke through the wall of air, I moved with extreme speed and unleashed the greatest slash I’ve made yet.

I aimed for his neck, and with a speed barely perceptible, my sword clashed with his light-clad long sword. He budged a little.

──I can do this, I can push him.

The moment I thought that, as though a strong wind had passed, my black flames were suddenly blown out.

“──!?”

I didn’t have the leisure to say anything.

In fact, I didn’t even have the time to check the crushed tip of my great sword before the enemy’s long sword drew a diagonal silver stroke.

Black flames gushed out of my body.

──Damn it!

I reached out for the Guardian Sword of the Giants(Titan Dagger) on my back, but before I could—

“Seven Slash, One Stroke.”

—Seven streaks shot out from that silver stroke at a speed too fast to see, and with great power, they sent my limbs flying. My right leg, my ribs, my shoulders, my arms, all of them were cut off, but I lived yet thanks to the black flames gushing out. However, a terrible pain assaulted me.

“How is it? It hurts, right? Did you want to die?”

With my right leg gone, I couldn’t even stand.

“Still alive?”

I glared at the twisted smile on his face and bit down on my molars to keep myself from screaming.

“It’s good that you’re so lively. Now, dance!”

At the descent of the hero’s sword, the earth split open.

I reached out for my great sword behind me with my remaining left hand, but moving even just a finger felt like gouging out my wounds. The moment i pulled out my great sword, the earth was struck, and the ground split open again.

Lumps of earth and small stones bore into my flesh.

The enemy was a long way away from the range of my great sword. Since he could attack from a distance, while I couldn’t, distancing myself from him only served to benefit him.

As I was sent flying over and over again, the distance between us only grew bigger. How am I supposed to approach him?

But the hero didn’t seem to care about my worries and just leisurely approached me himself.

“Looks like you won’t break just yet. Yep, you have to put at least that much of a fight.”

Using the Guardian Sword of the Giants as a cane, I pushed myself up. Thanks to the black flames, most of my wounds have already closed.

“Hmm?”

The hero seemed to notice something and turned away from me. The sound of yells reached me from behind.

Why are you getting in my way, Pale!?

“Oh, right. I have to mobilize the army.”

The hero calmly wielded his long sword over his shoulder and snapped with his free hand.

“Attack.”

The hero did not say that out loud in particular, but regardless, the emotionless human army began to move.

The hero swung his long sword, and I blocked it with my great sword, but he actually managed to push me away.

Damn it!

“To think that the first thing I would see when I woke up would be this comedy. What a great way to start the day! Ah, but I suppose it is a bit sad that it was actually a clown that’s been trampling over my people… I suppose I would have to make you pay for that; therefore, I shall trample over you, your body, and your heart. Fu fu fu fu fu fu ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!”

As my great sword was pushed back, my posture broke.

What is with this power!? My muscles screamed, but I mustered every bit of them to resist against the pressure.

It felt like I was fighting a giant.

“How was it? It was fun right? It was only a little bit, but you used my power, didn’t you? That’s why you were able to get this far.”

“What are you talking about!?”

I asked with a yell. At the same time, the slash I threw at him was easily repelled.

“That thing called Status. It’s a good information to have, right? But… Didn’t you think it odd that you could see it? Was there anyone else other than you that could see it?”

There was. Obviously. This was something taught to me by the old goblin.

“Of course there was!”

“Oh, really? Could that person really see the Status?”

“What are you trying to say!?”

“Did he tell you that you could learn your opponent’s strength by focusing, or did he tell you that you could see your opponents’ strength laid out perfectly before you in the form of a Status? Which was it?”

A deep smile brimming with confidence surfaced on him.

Now that he mentions it, what did the old goblin say exactly back then? I tried to remember, but it’s too dangerous to become thoughtful in front of this enemy.

“Remember and know for yourself!”

This time the wilted old man playing hero slashed upwards while in the Low Stance.

──Suppress it and reap his head.

With that split-second decision, I switched stance and tried to suppress his attack with my great sword, but the only result I got was to have my sword be sent flying into the air.

“What!?”

“You still don’t understand the difference in our strength? Ha ha ha.”

I should’ve been able to suppress his attack, but he sent me flying instead. The long sword, swung out as if it had no weight at all, returned to the hands of the brave man and was swung again at me, who was stuck in mid-air.

“Guu.”

I bit back a muffled scream and braced myself for the impact, then the hero drew a stroke and unleashed a shockwave to shot through my body.

He’s different from all the other humans I’ve fought. From start to finish, he’s done nothing but show me just how fundamentally different our gap in strength is and repeatedly continues to smash me into the ground.

“O world, exist for me.(Enchant)!””

Light gathered on the hero’s long sword. That was a power that operated on a fundamentally different principle than mine. My power would shoot ether as it gushed out, but that power gathered strength from his surroundings to strengthen his sword.

“You can run away in fear, you know.”

“Against you? Never!”

Black flames gushed out once again as though in response to my anger, then I put as much strength as I could into my grip. I stabbed the Black-Red Speckled Great Sword(Zweihander) into the ground, then held Black Flame Shimmering Great Sword(Flamberge) with both of my hands.

As I fixed my gaze on my sworn enemy, I kicked myself off the ground.

“Fine. I’ll play with you until you can’t move anymore,” the hero said.

I’ll make you regret provoking me so blatantly!

As I broke through the wall of air, I moved with extreme speed and unleashed the greatest slash I’ve made yet.

I aimed for his neck, and with a speed barely perceptible, my sword clashed with his light-clad long sword. He budged a little.

──I can do this, I can push him.

The moment I thought that, as though a strong wind had passed, my black flames were suddenly blown out.

“──!?”

I didn’t have the leisure to say anything.

In fact, I didn’t even have the time to check the crushed tip of my great sword before the enemy’s long sword drew a diagonal silver stroke.

Black flames gushed out of my body.

──Damn it!

I reached out for the Guardian Sword of the Giants(Titan Dagger) on my back, but before I could—

“Seven Slash, One Stroke.”

—Seven streaks shot out from that silver stroke at a speed too fast to see, and with great power, they sent my limbs flying. My right leg, my ribs, my shoulders, my arms, all of them were cut off, but I lived yet thanks to the black flames gushing out. However, a terrible pain assaulted me.

“How is it? It hurts, right? Did you want to die?”

With my right leg gone, I couldn’t even stand.

“Still alive?”

I glared at the twisted smile on his face and bit down on my molars to keep myself from screaming.

“It’s good that you’re so lively. Now, dance!”

At the descent of the hero’s sword, the earth split open.

I reached out for my great sword behind me with my remaining left hand, but moving even just a finger felt like gouging out my wounds. The moment i pulled out my great sword, the earth was struck, and the ground split open again.

Lumps of earth and small stones bore into my flesh.

The enemy was a long way away from the range of my great sword. Since he could attack from a distance, while I couldn’t, distancing myself from him only served to benefit him.

As I was sent flying over and over again, the distance between us only grew bigger. How am I supposed to approach him?

But the hero didn’t seem to care about my worries and just leisurely approached me himself.

“Looks like you won’t break just yet. Yep, you have to put at least that much of a fight.”

Using the Guardian Sword of the Giants as a cane, I pushed myself up. Thanks to the black flames, most of my wounds have already closed.

“Hmm?”

The hero seemed to notice something and turned away from me. The sound of yells reached me from behind.

Why are you getting in my way, Pale!?

“Oh, right. I have to mobilize the army.”

The hero calmly wielded his long sword over his shoulder and snapped with his free hand.

“Attack.”

The hero did not say that out loud in particular, but regardless, the emotionless human army began to move.