Kill or Be Killed

The Enemy's Will that would swallow the world had not yet made itself felt. All that filled the air was murderous intent aimed squarely at the people. Which meant the first priority was to put out the most urgent flames right in front of them.

Leaving the Demon God Worshippers and the low-grade monsters to the royal capital’s soldiers, Daisy lightly leapt forward and cast her next spell. A high-tier magic capable of erasing in a single stroke the enemies rushing toward her. Almost the instant she invoked it, a spell of similar power flew back from the enemy side.

Kwa-gwang—!!

A massive explosion of mana rocked the entire area. While the soldiers staggered in confusion at the shockwave, the monsters only accelerated like mad. Unlike “people,” who instinctively felt fear when faced with something beyond their imagination, these were “monsters” that existed solely to harbor hostility toward all living things. That was probably why.

“Tsk.”

Deciding that directly targeting the enemy was impossible, Daisy clicked her tongue lightly and kicked off the ground. In that case, it was better to clear away those who were interfering with her first and then start over. In any event, the powerhouse on the other side had definitely noticed her presence. If she slipped away, the damage would fall squarely on her allies. Therefore, it was only natural that they would chase her. Daisy thought so, and when several ice spikes came flying from directly behind her, she smiled, realizing her prediction had been correct.

Though in daily life she was so clumsy that everyone frowned at her, once battle began, that side of her vanished like a lie. What remained in its place was the Mage of the Magic Tower, the Magic Hero, Daisy Blossom.

Landing gracefully on the ground, Daisy gathered mana in her hand and slammed it into the earth. A colossal sandstorm erupted immediately afterward, completely grinding away the ice spikes that had been aiming for her back. It had already transcended the level of magic and could be considered a natural disaster.

“…He… ro….”

A grating voice leaked from the mouth of the skeletal demonic human that had followed her. It sounded as if his vocal cords had suffered serious damage. The noise was so unpleasant it was like metal scraping against metal.

At that voice—which made anyone who heard it instinctively frown—Daisy spoke up.

“With all that impressive magic, you can’t even fix your own vocal cords? How pathetic.”

“He… ro… kill… you….”

“Yes, yes, of course you will. That’s all well and good, but before that, why don’t you learn how to speak properly first?”

The moment Daisy said that, pitch-black energy came flying at her. It spread out like a fisherman casting a net—dense, without a single gap to slip through. The instant she saw it, Daisy instinctively realized that touching it would lead to something very bad. Even a graze would inflict a wound equivalent to a fatal injury.

“Get this disgusting thing away from me.”

With a light flick of her hand, a massive wall of flame rose up. The moment the black mist met the blazing fire, a tremendous explosion erupted.

Kwa-gwa-gwang—!!

A mana explosion so fierce that others could barely stand in its presence. Yet Daisy simply waved her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hand lightly and began preparing her next spell. A vivid, clear blue energy gathered in her palm. The voice really was unpleasant to listen to; she decided she might as well finish off its owner right here.

“Ah, wait. Master said the thing that hurts the most is being burned alive.”

After a moment of hesitation, Daisy revised her magic. Changing the nature of a spell that had already reached the point of manifestation by 180 degrees was by no means easy. Nevertheless, she did it, and she finished in a single ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠second.

“Just disappear already.”

With those words from Daisy, a hell of flames descended upon the earth.

Kwa-rrrrr—

Giant tongues of fire surged like a river, dancing wildly. Gazing at the crimson flowers that had swallowed the entire area, Daisy took a deep breath. Huuup! She liked this scorching heat and the faintly acrid scent very much. She had always favored flames, but after her master taught her that “the best way to deal with enemies is to burn them to death,” that cruel yet beautiful inferno became her favorite magic of all.

It was a hellfire that even high-grade monsters could not endure for more than a few minutes. If they stopped moving inside it, the only future left for them was to be reduced to ashes.

“K… k… kuh….”

But it seemed that future would not come to pass today. At the laughter ringing in her ears, Daisy’s eyes narrowed sharply. This was the first time she had seen a Demon God Worshipper remain perfectly fine inside that blaze. Realizing her opponent was no ordinary foe, she completely revised her plan.

With a rough sweep of her hand, she scattered the river of roaring flames. The surging fire died down in an instant, and the figure beyond it slowly began to walk forward. Despite having taken that enormous inferno head-on, there was not a single scorch mark on him. Not even a singed hem or the faintest trace of soot.

“Kill… you… and… take… it….”

“I heard your wish loud and clear.”

The highest-tier fire magic had not worked at all. It was not simply a matter of resistance. He had deployed defensive magic at nearly the exact same output level as her own. Having reached that conclusion, Daisy was certain this fight would be extremely long and tedious.

“Kuhahaha! What are you doing, Hero! You just gonna stand there and keep blocking until you die?!”

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!

A man slamming his massive greatsword against a shield like a madman. It looked as though the shield would shatter into pieces at any moment before that terrifying blade. Every time it came down, the surrounding mana exploded with deafening bangs. The man wielding the greatsword attacked with a brutality that was almost grotesque.

With a bizarre expression and a chilling grin on his lips, every time the blood-soaked greatsword swung, sparks flew in all directions. Yet the one holding the shield—Gerard—did not budge an inch.

I can break away if I want to. Each hit is heavy, but not enough to make me unable to endure.

Perhaps because he had blocked the attack aimed at the king head-on just moments ago, the man with the greatsword was now focused entirely on him. It was as if he would not pay attention to anything else until he cut Gerard down first.

For Gerard, who had stopped the man’s attacks, it was fortunate that the enemy was tied down by him. If the man had ignored him and attacked the others, even as the Guardian Hero, Gerard was not confident he could protect everyone.

His role in this situation was extremely simple: keep the man in front of him interested enough not to lose focus, and wait for his senior sister and junior sister to join the fight. Compared to the other heroes, it was a terribly unglamorous job. But Gerard had never once thought of it that way.

Gerard had never been particularly obsessed with defeating more monsters, more demonic beings, or more Demon God Worshippers. The only thing that mattered to him was protecting. Even if he received no attention at all for it. Even if his role was simply to stand in place and silently endure. He was ready to accept all of it and block everything that came.

“Ha, this bastard. Not counterattacking even once, just blocking. How boring.”

The greatsword-wielding demonic human muttered and took a few steps back. After glancing around for a moment, he swung his sword lightly. When Gerard’s shield twisted in that direction, the man sneered and shouted.

“You stupid idiot! You fell for it right away! That’s why they call you a coward hiding behind a shield!”

What he had been aiming for from the beginning were the royal soldiers fighting behind the shield. They were locked in fierce combat with the Demon God Worshippers and the monsters. If their flanks were suddenly sliced open with a wet shuk, wouldn’t the screams, the spraying blood, and the ensuing chaos be utterly beautiful?

Thinking that, the greatsword demonic human gripped his blade in a reverse hold and brought it down.

“Kukuku!!”

He wondered what the hero’s face would look like once he realized he had been tricked. What expression he would make while watching the people dying right behind him. It was so amusing and intriguing that he could not stop laughing.

“…?!”

Thud—!!

At least until Gerard deflected that crimson trajectory with one arm.

“…”

“Hoo.”

“…Ha, hahahaha!! You crazy bastard! I thought you were just some coward, but you’ve got some fire in you after all?!”

The man’s attention focused on Gerard once more. Perhaps he had clearly received the message that he could never reach the others unless he got past him. Declaring that his previous attacks had been nothing but a joke, the greatsword demonic human began pressing Gerard with a ferocity incomparable to before.

“…”

While blocking the opponent’s strikes, Gerard checked the condition of his arm. He had hoped there would be no problem, but that seemed to have been too much to ask. The stinging sensation told him that part of the attack had gotten through.

He’s strong. Completely the opposite of me—every ounce of his power is focused on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠offense.

The attacker’s offensive power and the defender’s defensive ability were roughly equal. What remained, then, was who would tire first and who would endure until the end. Gerard raised his inner energy with the attitude of let’s see who wins. Until you split this shield and cut me down, you will not get past me.

The greatsword demonic human burst into wild laughter as if welcoming the challenge.

Compared to the others, the relatively weaker Iris (Regression) was dealing with the monsters. The creatures summoned by the Demon God Worshippers were incredibly varied. Most were low- or mid-grade, but high-grade monsters were mixed in here and there. The moment those high-grade monsters broke through the formation, it would collapse instantly. Therefore, as soon as the battle began, Iris had charged in and drawn the high-grade monsters away.

Even so, a large number of enemies had closed in right before their noses. While Iris handled the high-grade monsters, Iris (Regression) took charge of the rest.

It’s not bad yet. Not yet!

Swinging her sword to cut down a Demon God Worshipper and a low-grade monster at the same time, Iris (Regression) turned her head to check on the royal soldiers. In the original timeline she knew, they would have been annihilated inside the palace without even being able to fight. And all the blood they shed, along with the lives of the innocent people inside the palace, would have become the finest fertilizer, creating an even deeper abyss of despair.

But the odds of that happening now were very low. Everyone was already in their proper positions, fighting with all their strength. Moreover, reinforcements would arrive soon, so their chances of victory were far higher.

…Then why do I feel so uneasy?

According to what she had heard before her regression, the heroes who reached the palace had fought a battle fierce enough to leave them injured. These were heroes who could casually block even the attacks of high-grade monsters. Yet they had suffered wounds that could not be properly healed by ordinary means?

It had not been just the demonic humans. There was something more. When that existence rose within the palace, the very center of the continent had crumbled. The moment her thoughts reached that point, Iris (Regression) felt even more anxious instead.