The End of Swordsmanship

"What are you hesitating for? Stab me."

Libero said, puffing out his chest.

But of course, I couldn't bring myself to pierce his chest.

"What are you talking about? I still need you."

"I am sorry about that. For not being of more help."

I couldn't understand.

"Then you just have to help me!"

There was still so much he could do.

"You still have to teach me more swordsmanship. That was the wish you promised to grant me, wasn't it?"

"I told you, didn't I? I cannot grant impossible wishes."

He wore a bitter expression.

"Now, it has become impossible on my end. This is as far as I go."

"As far as you go..."

"I have turned my back on both the Demon Kings and the Heroes. No matter where I run now, survival is impossible."

He wasn't wrong.

No matter how strong he was, he was alone.

Whether it was the Demon Kings or the Heroes, if they came at him in droves, he wouldn't survive.

But I hated it.

"Are you really going to give up this easily...!"

When he broke free of Guineus's mental domination on his own, I thought he had finally achieved enlightenment.

Because his words, identical to those in the Trial, had triggered a faint memory of what the Trial had been about.

"Doesn't the end of swordsmanship lie in the master's will? Didn't you realize that?"

I didn't know exactly what his will was.

Because I didn't know his past.

But having watched him for so long, I could guess the rough outline.

"Didn't you want to become a hero and protect something?"

"You know me well."

"Then the end of your swordsmanship lies right there! Why are you trying to give up without even trying...!"

"I am not giving up."

He placed his hand on my head.

"I have simply seen potential in you."

He asked.

"Alan, where does the end of your swordsmanship lie?"

The end of my swordsmanship.

It meant the will with which I swung my sword.

"It is to become a Hero."

"Is that truly all?"

"What do you mean, all..."

"I am asking if you have no reason for why you must become a Hero."

A reason to become a Hero.

Of course I had one.

Because that was the goal set for the character named Alan Flake.

But that was only the initial reason.

If asked whether that was the sole reason all along, the answer was no.

Because I had constantly changed.

And now, I knew the truth.

I wasn't some character named Alan Flake.

I was Alan Flake, and I was myself.

There was now a clear reason why I had to become a Hero.

"To protect the people precious to me."

Chaos Beasts, Demon Kings, war.

This world was far too dangerous.

To protect my precious bonds in such a world, I needed the power represented by a Hero.

And going a step further, I wanted to prevent the destruction of this world.

According to the game's story, the complete destruction of the world by Chaos would arrive before long.

That was also why the cultivation of most characters ended.

From a player's perspective, one might dismiss it as a mere gameplay mechanic, but I could no longer brush it aside so easily.

I didn't think it was something I could achieve alone.

But to contribute even a fraction of strength when the time came, to save the bonds who would lend me their strength...

I needed power.

"As I thought... what I felt was a sense of kinship."

Libero smiled with satisfaction.

"Alan, the Demon Kings are plotting something in the Reim Kingdom. It is still in the preparation stages, but if it succeeds, it is a plan that could destroy the Reim Kingdom entirely."

I knew.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Because I possessed the player's knowledge in my head.

The only problem was...

"Is your strength enough to stop it?"

Yes, that was the problem.

No matter how much I had raised my swordsmanship to A+, that alone wasn't enough to stop it.

Still, if I could prevent the destruction of the Reim Kingdom, I wanted to.

Because its destruction was directly linked to the death of Princess Ersiala.

But as I just said, with my current strength, I couldn't stop the fall of the Reim Kingdom.

It was on an entirely different scale compared to the invasion of the 71st Demon King.

Of course, it wasn't as if there was absolutely no way.

"My strength alone is insufficient. But if you help me..."

"I wish to help as well, but I cannot. As I said earlier, the chances of me surviving are slim."

He pointed to his chest.

"Stab me. I know well enough that Heroes sponsored by Constellations obtain rewards by slaying Demon Kings."

The reward he spoke of was SP.

Indeed, 200 SP was not something easily gathered. If I killed him and then Guineus, I would likely reach the requirement for the third Stigma Succession.

But if that was the price of killing Libero... it felt far too trivial.

"Think rationally. There isn't much time."

He turned his gaze outside the building.

"The Heroes dispatched by the Holy Church have just arrived in Sak. It seems a Constellation-grade Hero is among them. It won't be long before they reach us."

Thinking rationally, stabbing him was the correct choice.

Even if he and I joined forces, defeating a dispatch team that included a Constellation-grade Hero was close to impossible.

Yet, my arm refused to move.

The memories of the Trial had now faded like a dream.

Just like Libero's memories.

Even so, just as Libero clung to his past memories, I could not easily forget the hundreds of years I had spent with him.

It was then.

"What on earth are you hesitating for?!"

Libero raised his voice.

"Am I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not telling you that I am entrusting the end of my swordsmanship to you? Or do you find it that laughable?"

"Entrusting the end of your swordsmanship to me?"

"If the end of swordsmanship lies in one's will, then it does not matter who wields the sword."

He was dead serious.

So much so that my hesitation felt foolish.

"Stab me. That is the end of my swordsmanship."

"I understand."

The moment I made up my mind, I did not hesitate.

Gripping my sword tightly, I thrust it forward.

What I needed was certainty.

Rotating my upper body to align parallel with the blade.

I thrust the sword deep.

The blade pierced through his ribs and penetrated his heart with precision.

"That's it, Alan."

He was smiling.

"I have nothing left to teach you now. With this, my promise is kept."

I drew back my sword.

With that, his body collapsed limply.

And a cold message announcing his death appeared in the corner of my vision.

Something hot trickled down my cheek.

My chest felt tight, and I couldn't breathe properly.

A clear status abnormality; in the past, the Constellation would have forced Absolute Obedience.

But just as the Chain God had said, he no longer interfered with me.

And the truth was, I didn't need it anymore either.

There was still work left to do.

Swallowing my tears, I stepped past ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Libero's body and walked forward.

I had to kill the culprit behind all of this.

After all, it was entirely because of her.

"Demon King Guineus."

I had absolutely no intention of letting her go easily.

Hey, Constellation. Force Absolute Obedience. Tell me to kill her.

With this, even mental domination would be useless.

"W-What?! A mere human is immune to my mental domination?!"

Guineus panicked.

But that wasn't enough.

I drove Gravitus into her regenerating leg.

"Aaargh!"

Though her outward appearance resembled a human, her internal structure seemed different, as the blade didn't sink in easily.

Not that it mattered.

Weight Release.

Instantly, Gravitus severed Guineus's leg with its immense weight.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

It seemed she still didn't realize her own wrongdoing.

Or perhaps she was just born that way.

Therefore, whether she repented or not, I had no intention of giving her a peaceful death.

Thud.

I severed her other leg as well.

"Stop! I was wrong, so just kill me in one blow! Like Libero!"

Rage flared within me at the sound of her voice uttering Libero's name.

I pulled a random 1-star dagger from my inventory and shoved it straight into her mouth.

She began to shriek in agony, but that was actually better.

"I'm going to make your death as painful as possible."

With my current strength, I couldn't kill her in a single blow anyway.

So, fueled by pure malice, I simply hacked away at her body.

Yet, the tenacity of a Demon King's life force was formidable; she still clung to breath.

"S-Stop... kill me..."

She seemed to have regenerated her tongue in the meantime.

I was planning to wrap things up soon anyway.

Though it wasn't entirely of my own volition.

The Heroes are coming up.

They were calmly ascending the building.

Thanks to them, the time I could spend tormenting Guineus was slightly extended.

I was grateful.

My hands were completely drenched in her blood.

My tear-stained rage had yet to subside.

But now, it was time to end this.

"Go to hell."

I drove my sword into Guineus's mangled heart and twisted it.

With that, another message appeared in the corner of my vision.

I had killed two Demon Kings in one go.

I had gained 400 SP.

I had even succeeded the third Stigma.

And yet...

"Fuck."

I felt like absolute shit.

"The 13th Demon King and the 67th Demon King have died."

Her crystal ball had glowed crimson twice.

Demon King Violet spoke in a somber voice.

More than half of the Demon Kings had gathered for the Demon King Council that day.

It was a larger number than when the 71st Demon King had died.

In particular, it was the first time since the inception of the Demon King Council that both the 1st Demon King and the 5th Demon King had appeared.

"I am sorry, Libero. For not coming to save you..."

Violet's hands trembled.

As the 16th Demon King and the communication officer of the Demon King Council, she too had spent hundreds of years alongside Libero.

"I knew Guineus was plotting something, but..."

Even though she knew, there was nothing she could do.

Because interference between Demon Kings was strictly regulated by the Demon King Council.

To her, the 5th Demon King said:

"He was bound to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠break down sooner or later anyway. If anything, he simply held out for a remarkably long time."

His expression was calm.

After all, this was not the first death of a Demon King.

Yet, a trace of sorrow still lingered in his eyes.

"From the very beginning, he was someone who never suited being a Demon King."

That was a fact everyone knew.

Libero's existence was so contradictory to anyone who looked at him that he seemed as if he might shatter at any moment.

And so, they bowed their heads.

"Let us pray for his soul. For the Last Knight of the Reim Kingdom, Libero."