One Step Forward
The blood flowed. The Fragment of the Demon God, the Enemy's Will turned toward the world, was bleeding. The blood ran down its arm. It wasn't a severed limb or anything close to it. Just a shallow cut across the skin, nothing more. Yet even that alone made me wonder if my eyes were playing tricks on me.
The opponent had rendered my best possible attack completely useless. Even I, a user armed with every special privilege the system could offer, had failed to break through. That accursed law must have been the reason.
“…It seems,” Master said, drawing a deep breath, “you’ve taken one step forward.”
At those words, I almost nodded without thinking. Then the Fragment vanished from sight.
At first I assumed it was going for Jenia or Garam. I tightened my hold on Garam and tried to move, but the vile aura wasn’t aimed at her. It was racing straight toward Master.
Normally I would have trusted her to handle it. She might even have scolded me for interfering. But instinct took over. I threw myself toward her.
That technique she had shown earlier was something I had never seen before. It was beyond anything that could be called “strong.” The backlash must have been equally fierce. It had cracked the very laws of the world; there was no way Master had come out of it unscathed. She looked perfectly fine on the outside, but inside she had to be in chaos.
I didn’t hesitate. I reached her just in time.
“Ah.”
The moment I caught her, I knew my instincts had been right. The woman who held the arrogant title of Heavenly Demon felt as fragile as a spring on the verge of running dry. It wasn’t just her appearance; her inner energy was completely spent.
A few seconds later and the Fragment would have had her.
“…I have no face left to show my disciple.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m just a little tired. Ahaha. I don’t think I’ve ever been this exhausted before.”
“Of course you have. When I was begging you to take me as your disciple, you looked exactly like this. So there’s no need to be embarrassed.”
“Is that so.”
Now that I was holding her, I realized how light she was. A single gust of wind might have carried her away. All this time I had thought of her as an immovable mountain, an endless sea. Whether this world was a game or something else entirely, she had always seemed larger than life. Yet right now she felt like an ordinary woman.
…Though, to be honest, her beauty was far from ordinary.
“Half of what you said is right, half is wrong, Hyeon-ah.”
“I suppose so. I never thought you would actually reach it.”
“All I managed was to slice off a bit of skin. Still, I consider that one step sufficient. What do you think?”
“I think it’s enough as well.”
“Then I’ll teach you. How I reached it. What realm I’ve arrived at.”
“Later. First we need to deal with that thing.”
“…Do you think it’s possible? I touched it, but in the end…”
“Looks like she’s arrived.”
The moment I finished speaking, a clear voice rang out.
"Raggio dell'eterna luce."
A wave of pure white light flooded the area, swallowing Garam, Jenia, Master, me, and even the Fragment of the Demon God. Every shadow was erased.
“From this moment onward, I declare this place an Absolute Sanctuary.”
The ground trembled lightly. An indescribably sweet fragrance filled the air. It felt like lying in a field of flowers, or walking on clouds, or resting in the warmest, most comforting place in the world.
“Kyaaak! Krrgh! Kaak!!”
For the Fragment of the Demon God, it must have been hell itself.
“Ghh…! Y-you bastard…!!!”
Garam, who had been on the verge of death, spat curses and snatched up the sword lying beside her. Her complexion was still poor, but she no longer looked like she was dying. A soft hissing sound filled the air.
Absolute Sanctuary, the ultimate technique of the Holy Hero Lily Hyacinth. The blessed land she herself could not use lightly had descended upon this place.
“I’m sorry I’m late, First Senior Sister! Second Senior Sister!”
“It’s fine, Lily! You came at the perfect time! That bastard. I’m going to tear him apart today!!”
“Don’t get cocky and get caught again, Garam! If you do, I’ll skewer you along with him!”
“Even if your spear ends up skewering me, I’m taking that thing’s head! Kyaaang!!”
Garam and Jenia launched their assault from both sides. Earlier they had closed the distance for a single powerful strike. Now they kept a measured distance, focusing on accumulating damage.
“What are you doing?”
While I watched them, Master poked my chest.
“Your disciples are fighting like that, and you’re just going to stand there watching?”
“…I don’t want to either. But…”
“I know. Even I could only manage to cut its skin. You won’t be any different. I understand, Hyeon-ah. But you still have to go. If you retreat because you can’t reach it, you’ll keep retreating forever. So even if you can’t reach it, keep moving forward. That way, even if your sword can’t touch it, you’ll at least be close enough to bite, claw, and struggle.”
Lily’s sanctuary focused on healing physical wounds. Master, however, had exhausted all her inner energy, so the sanctuary had little effect on her. She was essentially in a state of complete exhaustion.
“…If you’re all right by yourself, I’ll go.”
“Go. Go quickly. Go and do that bluffing you talked about to your heart’s content. That thing is wary now. Even if I only cut its skin, my attack was never something to be taken lightly. There will be an opening.”
I nodded at Master’s words.
The Fragment of the Demon God was deeply confused. The unidentified woman who had stood before it moments ago was neither a Hero nor any publicly known powerhouse. Even the scent she gave off was not of this world.
It searched through the information it had obtained from the innocent lives the Demon God Worshippers had sacrificed, but found no match. Yet that same unidentified being had attacked.
The moment her sword moved, the Fragment felt fear for the first time. The fear that it would be completely annihilated, reduced to dust, to ash, to nothing. It felt as though an inescapable prophecy of death had seized its throat.
It had to block it. Or dodge. But its body refused to move. Whether from fear or because dodging was unnecessary, it couldn’t tell. In the end, it took the attack where it stood.
“…”
And when the world seemed to vanish, its body remained intact. Only a shallow cut on its forearm.
Amid an attack that had evaporated all mana in the vicinity, only it had survived unscathed.
‘This is…’
Just as the thought that something was wrong began to form, a repulsive energy suddenly bloomed in every direction.
“Kwaaaak!”
A scream tore out. The pain was unbearable. The energy spreading through this place was the exact opposite of its own nature. Warmth, comfort, and the hope and faith rooted in them. Everything denied its very existence, tearing it apart.
Immediately afterward, the Heroes’ attacks began in earnest.
Suppressing the burning pain still lingering in its throat, Garam grazed the Fragment’s waist with her blade as she passed. The Fragment swung its arm to grab her, but a red light fired from Jenia’s spear tip blocked it.
The moment Garam’s attack ended, Jenia planted her spear and charged. Anyone watching would have expected a thrust. Garam even supported her from the opposite side with a sword aura.
Naturally, the Fragment assumed Jenia’s spear was the main threat.
“Idiot.”
But just before the spear could reach it, Jenia sneered. Thud!
“Ghh!”
The spear shaft, swung at tremendous speed, slammed into the Fragment. Agony and the sensation of its insides being rattled coursed through it. As the Fragment staggered, Jenia raised her spear again and brought it down on its head.
People always assumed a spear was only for thrusting. They asked what else a spear could do if it couldn’t thrust. They said a sword would be better anyway. She had heard those rude questions countless times.
Of course, her ultimate technique was still a thrusting form.
“Cinque Barracuda.”
Ziiing—
Five ominous energies gathered at the spear tip. When Jenia thrust with full force, the spear shot forward like an explosion.
The Fragment saw the red trajectory and barely dodged. But the trajectory instantly changed direction and came at it again.
“Kwaaaak!!”
There was only one way. Grab it and break it. The Fragment endured Garam’s sword strike with its body and waited for an opening. Finally, it caught the red-glowing spear blade Jenia had thrown, even as Garam’s sword dug into its shoulder.
“You really are an idiot.”
It never realized that was exactly what Jenia had been aiming for.
Kwaaaang!!
With a thunderous explosion, the Fragment was hurled backward. Dust and scattered energy clouded the air. Then a chilling sensation made it raise its guard on instinct. It prepared to minimize damage from any blade, whether sword or spear.
But what came flying next was neither Garam’s sword nor Jenia’s spear.
“Vendetta di il cielo.”
The clear voice and warm energy from earlier had long since vanished. Only the Saintess’s cold tone and the brilliantly shining, ferocious mace remained.
“You’d better clench your teeth.”
Heaven’s Judgment struck the Fragment of the Demon God with full force.