The Third Demon Hero, Dual-Wielder Denarua

Even before the Hero's party arrived, the Demon Sword and Lucy were engaged in a fierce battle.

In truth, even though the Demon Sword could have easily overwhelmed Lucy, it was holding back.

It was doing so to hone the skills of Lucy, who had lost her limbs and had barely held a sword before.

Though she possessed monstrous power, it was unrefined and raw.

'At this rate, she'll be in trouble later.'

Aside from the reincarnator Lee, the Demon Sword was the only one who knew the contents of the DLC.

This was only possible because, among all the sentient characters, it was the only one consumed alive as a reinforcement material for Hnoni.

'Even that crazy bitch of a Goddess probably didn't know this side effect would happen.'

Thanks to that, Abyss, who had been planning to simply side with the demons, was contemplating following the Hero around, looking forward to the delicious, high-quality regret that would follow.

But then,

"Rin?"

The Demon Sword and Lucy noticed the porter's crisis at the same time.

The red thread connected to Rin swayed anxiously, and Lucy prepared to leap directly to his location.

"Where do you think you're going? Play with me a little longer."

"Get lost! My place is by Rin's side!"

She kicked off the ground using her mana.

As she launched herself with enough force to reshape the surrounding terrain, the darkness woven by the Demon Sword tore apart effortlessly.

"Wow..."

Watching Lucy charge straight toward Rin, Abyss marveled.

Look at her. She's finally starting to get her head on straight.

However, the outcome was grim.

Despite blocking countless attacks, the Hero's party managed to bypass Lucy and land a blow on Rin.

The porter collapsed, and Lucy began to run wild.

"Severing Slash—!"

A sword wave infused with blood-red mana surged toward the Hero's party.

Terrified, Linefold rushed to the front and firmly gripped his shield.

"Deflect!"

Screeech—!

The sword wave scraped against the shield, which was braced diagonally against the ground, making a hair-raising sound.

Contrary to the skill's name, Linefold barely managed to alter its trajectory, forced to withstand the brunt of the force until one of his knees buckled.

But regardless, he had deflected it.

Crash!

However, the deflected sword wave flew toward an anchored sailing ship, slicing it clean ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in half.

As the ship splintered and sank into the sea, no one could even find the voice to scream.

"She's gotten stronger...?"

Nydrian was horrified by a level of destructive power she hadn't even witnessed during the subjugation of the Demon King.

Lucy took up her stance again, beginning to gather her mana.

Watching the blood-red mana slowly coalesce, the archer cried out in panic.

"Tigria! Why are you just standing there? We need to subdue the demon and the Hero!"

"Not a demon."

"What?"

"Not a demon. The porter."

"Porter or not, he's practically dripping with demonic energy! Especially on his arms!"

As Arciel shouted hysterically, the mage stared at the Saint with an incredulous expression.

"Did you forget? The porter touched the Demon King's horn with his bare hands to place it in the holy casket."

The entire Hero's party froze.

Even Linefold looked at the mage, hoping it wasn't true, but as always, Tigria forced them to face the uncomfortable reality.

"Authority: Since the demonic energy has not vanished, the demonic corruption he suffered back then could not have disappeared either."

"Ha... Fuck..."

Utterly devastated, Arciel clutched her head and muttered.

"What the hell did I do..."

Instead of purifying a companion corrupted by demonic energy with her holy power, she had branded him a demon and attacked him.

Moreover, that corruption was something that should have been treated immediately back then.

She remembered how she had assumed it would disappear once the Demon King died, and had even berated Rin for it.

"Arciel! You take responsibility and calm the Hero down."

"What...?"

"Is this not the result of your carelessness?!"

When Linefold barked at her, Arciel was left speechless.

The Saint, who had always acted with conviction and certainty, wished more than anything to turn back time.

Her lips were parched and she couldn't even swallow her spit, but Arciel summoned her courage and peeked out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from behind the shield.

"Lucy! I attacked the porter because I misunderstood... I'm sorry! I know... we're the ones who angered you, but facing off like this is just a war of attrition..."

"Shut up, right arm."

"Huh?"

Because she was suppressing her rage so intensely, she sounded completely devoid of emotion instead.

Shedding tears of blood with a blank face, Lucy spoke softly.

"The one who struck Ri... the porter was that right arm. The limb of mine you blew away was also my right arm. I will tear off your right arm first, at the very least."

She had almost called him Rin out of habit, but quickly corrected herself, remembering the Demon Sword's advice.

These bastards didn't deserve to even hear Rin's name.

"If you want to negotiate, I'm willing to listen."

"Really?!"

"First, Arciel, hand over your right arm."

Lucy showed a deep, twisted affection for her former companions.

"All of you, give me one of your limbs, and hand over Linefold."

Naturally, it wasn't because she wanted her former fiancé back.

The moment the name Linefold left her lips, her murderous intent thickened.

"...That's what she says."

Arciel blankly asked the party, having heard the same thing.

Even Nydrian stared at Arciel with her mouth agape, looking at her with pity.

In the end, Linefold stepped forward.

"Luciena, it is only natural that you are angry with us. But you cannot deny that your own words and actions have been excessive!"

"Heavenly Descent."

"Ah, dammit!"

The moment Linefold cursed, Lucy slammed her mana-infused sword down onto his shield at point-blank range.

Linefold's handsome face contorted hideously as he struggled to withstand the immense pressure.

"Arghhhhh...!"

"I don't care what you bastards did in the past."

"Luciena, this is just a war of attrition. Even if you're angry, we need to talk to resolve the situation...!"

"But I will never forgive anyone who tries to harm the person who risked his life to protect me."

Seeing the madness slowly seeping into her eyes, the elf shut her mouth.

"Do you really want to end this here?"

"I recall you guys were the ones who wanted to end things. And I said none of it matters, didn't I?"

Realizing that Lucy was stalling for time for some reason, the mage also fell silent.

"The past is the past, but this time is my fault. Lucy! If you want my right arm, I'll give it to you, so...!"

"I'm finally learning what true love is, but the past keeps dragging me down."

The Saint really shouldn't have spoken.

Realizing she had made another mistake, Arciel shut her mouth as well.

Lucy wasn't stalling on purpose, contrary to what the mage thought.

She was slowly increasing her mana to crush Linefold to death along with his shield.

Blood vessels ruptured in Linefold's eyes as he held on.

Since Lucy couldn't see him behind the shield anyway, she just kept talking to satisfy herself.

"Do you understand, Arciel? Labin told me you were quite the lover too."

"What...?"

"The past where I couldn't treat him well, the past where I fawned over another guy right in front of him... Hahaha! And to think that bastard was only planning to kill me!"

She gnashed her teeth.

"It's not a matter of what I failed to do for him. It's the fact that it would be faster to count the moments I didn't hurt him back then... How... how...!"

Crunch!

"Arghhhhhhh—!"

"You are the greatest obstacle in the way of my love, and a shameful stain that prevents me from standing proudly before him."

A gruesome sound echoed from beneath the shield.

At this rate, the shield knight would die.

Arciel and Nydrian had no choice but to prepare to attack, but Tigria was faster.

"Target, Net, Weaken, Intimidate, Slow."

"...?!"

Though Lucy quickly retreated, once the targeting magic was cast, Tigria could target her with a mere glance.

The speed-reducing magic they had once unleashed upon the Demon King now bound Lucy.

"Now! Secure the porter! The porter is Luciena's weakness!"

"Linefold, you bastard! How can you say that!"

"Doing that will only provoke Luciena further!"

"Understood. At this rate, we will either remain in a stalemate or be killed by Luciena. I will follow the order."

Filled with spite, Linefold charged at Lucy with his shield.

"I, too, have a woman I love with all my life! I cannot die here!"

Because her ally was locked in close combat, Nydrian couldn't shoot her arrows.

Nydrian drew her daggers and joined Arciel in pressing Lucy.

"Aaaaah!"

Lucy struck the shield with her sword, but it didn't budge.

Regardless of his personality, Linefold was skilled enough to block Lucy's fully charged attacks up to three times.

He wasn't called a shield knight for nothing.

The archer and the Saint slipped through the gaps to attack.

Though the Hero, slowed by magic, wasn't being pushed back, it was difficult for her to shake them off immediately.

"Coordinates set. Mass, volume, density, calculated. Teleport."

Taking advantage of the opening, Tigria cast a short-range teleport toward Rin, who lay behind Lucy.

"Get away from him!"

Lucy urgently looked back as she struggled against the persistent marking she couldn't shake off, but Tigria had already teleported.

The moment Tigria, having successfully teleported onto the sandy beach, was about to chant a spell toward Rin—

"Oh, what an unwelcome reunion."

"You...!"

She came face-to-face with the black-clad girl she had thought she would never see alive again.

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

Having gathered the blood dripping down Rin's chin in her small hands and drunk it, the girl's lips were stained a dark crimson.

"You doll of that filthy bitch. How dare you show your face here?"

"I...!"

Her youthful voice gradually grew seductive.

Her petite body rapidly matured, taking on a voluptuousness and allure that surpassed even Lucy's.

If the reincarnator Lee had seen her, he would have called her the absolute peak of the 'Dongtan Missy' aesthetic.

"Lucy! Behind you! Behind you! This time it's a real demon!"

Turning around in a panic as she followed Arciel's pointing finger, Lucy saw—

A long, black-haired Demon Hero, drawing dual swords from her waist with immense sensuality.

"Altar: Darkfang Sanctuary!"

"It's a barrier! Everyone must retreat!"

It was already too late.

As the dual swords struck the sandy beach, a dark crimson light instantly swept across the shoreline.

Having created a massive dome, the Demon Hero wiped the blood from Rin's chin with pitying eyes.

"You idiot. I'm only helping you this once."

The Demon Hero beckoned with her finger toward the Hero's party, who had gathered and formed a defensive line.

"I am Denarua, the dual-wielder of the Demon Hero party."

"Dual-wielder, the porter is a non-combatant. If you are a true warrior, leave him out of this and settle things with us!"

Linefold made a grand demand, but it was purely to calm Lucy's agitation.

Now that a Demon Hero had appeared, cooperating with the Hero was absolutely essential.

"Oh, but I came here precisely because of this porter you speak of. If you let me take him quietly, I won't harm you."

For ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a moment, Linefold hesitated.

If they let her take the porter, Lucy's wrath would naturally turn toward the demons, and they could use the goal of securing the porter as bait.

"Look at you, spinning those gears."

But there was no way Denarua wouldn't notice such shallow scheming.

"That porter's arms hold our Demon King's demonic energy intact. Naturally, he is an essential ingredient for the resurrection."

"Dammit, secure the porter!"

The Hero's party charged at the dual-wielder from their respective positions.

Denarua parried them with ease.

Meanwhile, Lucy stood completely still.

"Shut up."

"That demon is strange. She has no hostility or malice toward Rin."

The Demon Sword whispered slyly in Lucy's mind.

"...!!!!"

Grit.

"Rin is..."

The reddish-gold light returned, wrapping around her sword.

"MINE!!!"

Lucy shoved the members of the Hero's party aside with her shoulders and lunged at Denarua.

Watching her, the Demon Sword grinned.