For the Sake of My Comrades, I Must Win!
The figure stood clad in a deep brown robe, sword gripped firmly in hand. The moment Shamyuel laid eyes on him, she instantly recognized that he was not a demon, but a human.
His sword stance, the quality of his weapon, and most decisively, the magic concealing his true appearance. This guy is definitely human.
Shamyuel reached her conclusion in an instant by combining the tiniest details of information. However, at this moment, she chose not to immediately reveal his identity. Instead, she slowly clenched her gauntleted fist and adjusted her stance.
She had no idea why a human would participate in this tournament, but it was clearly not for any good purpose. Moreover, if she caused a commotion now, it could very well become the spark that ignited whatever scheme they were plotting. Since a cornered rat would thrash about unpredictably, it was better in this situation to simply go with the flow.
And the flow, naturally, meant continuing the battle against the human before her in the most natural way possible.
Fight. Defeat him. That’s all that matters for now.
The moment she reached that simple conclusion, Shamyuel gathered magic power into her gauntleted hand and focused every ounce of her attention on the “enemy” standing before her.
Clad in silver-white armor from head to toe, with magic power swirling around her gauntlets, Shamyuel stood ready.
On the other hand… the person watching her in that state—the human warrior wearing the deep brown robe, the one named Hector—gripped his sword tightly and stared at the demon before him with cold eyes.
So this is a Demon Army Legion Commander? As expected, she’s no ordinary fighter. The sheer scale of power I can feel from her is on a completely different level from regular demons.
Hector had faced countless demons so far. He had taken the heads of not only regular soldiers but also lieutenants and high-ranking officers. Yet even so, at this moment, he could sense his instincts sending him a faint warning.
That black dragon warrior from earlier, and now this Legion Commander… The Demon Realm really is full of monsters far beyond what we imagined. And yet the Emperor of the Falcon Empire is only thinking about waging war against our former ally, the Elf Theocracy…
As he assessed his opponent’s strength, Hector naturally found himself lamenting the pathetic state of his own nation. At the same time, that very realization only fueled his determination even more fiercely.
For the plan to proceed smoothly, I must win this match without fail. Even though it’s the main tournament, we’re still only in the early stages. To draw the maximum attention from the spectators and guards, I need to at least reach the semifinals.
Even if his opponent was a Legion Commander, Hector refused to entertain even the slightest thought of defeat. With that resolve burning in his chest, he charged toward the enemy before him with all his might.
“Haaaaah!!!”
The sharp metallic ring that followed was the sound of the Legion Commander casually blocking Hector’s downward slash with her gauntlet. The fact that she had deflected his strike—which had been infused with considerable magic power—with such ridiculous ease made Hector automatically frown. Nevertheless, he immediately began unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks toward the Legion Commander before him.
The next sound was a cacophony of explosive impacts. Hector’s sword, swung at terrifying speed as if slicing through the very air, hammered against his opponent’s gauntlets with sharp, ringing cries. It wasn’t mere sword swings; it was a merciless storm of strikes delivered with the precision of a master chef slicing vegetables.
Then—
“!”
In the next instant, the opponent abandoned her defense and launched a counterstrike at a speed far beyond imagination. Hector, whose posture had been thrown off from his continuous assault, barely managed to raise his sword in time to block it.
Or rather… he thought he had blocked it.
The tremendous shock that followed nearly blew Hector’s mind away. He was sent tumbling across the ground.
Urgh! What the… Even for a Legion Commander, isn’t this a bit much?
Although he had lost his balance slightly, the Legion Commander had still found the perfect opening within that storm of consecutive attacks and landed a monstrous blow. Realizing his opponent possessed far more power than he had anticipated, Hector instinctively furrowed his brow.
But he immediately understood he didn’t have the luxury of lying there and groaning.
“Goddammit!”
The opponent’s gauntlet was already flying toward him again. Hector forcefully expelled magic power to hurl himself upright. The very spot where he had been lying was smashed by a devastating strike. The ground split apart and debris flew everywhere. If he had stayed there defenseless, Hector was certain it wouldn’t have ended with mere unconsciousness.
Damn it… She’s so tiny, how can she hit this hard? So this is what a Legion Commander—one who stands directly beneath the Demon King—is capable of?
While thinking that, Hector barely dodged the fist flying straight at his face. It was fortunate that he held the advantage in speed; if he had been inferior in that regard as well, he truly would have had no answer.
However, from Hector’s perspective—who had anticipated a certain degree of difficulty—this situation was completely unexpected. As he continued the unfavorable fight, focusing solely on evasion, he desperately began searching for a way to reverse the current momentum.
Damn it… I can’t fall here like this… For the sake of my comrades… I can’t let myself be tripped up by a mere Legion Commander who isn’t even the Demon King!
‘For the sake of my comrades, I must win!’
Ever since he was a child, Hector had admired one thing above all else.
The Hero.
A mighty being who received the will of the gods, punished evil, and brought justice and peace to the world. That noble and lofty title had always been his dream, his ideal, and his goal. For that purpose, he had trained his body with all his strength and accumulated knowledge.
And as a result, the very “opportunity” he had longed for finally appeared before him—the chance to become the “Hero” he had always admired.
The defeat of the Hero Elan, who had received the divine oracle. Immediately after that was confirmed, Hector—who had distinguished himself as a warrior—was selected as the next Hero. At the same time, his comrades naturally became the new Hero Party and were given the mission to subjugate the Demon King.
However, just as they were excitedly preparing to set out, Hector and his comrades were struck by an unexpected thunderbolt of reality.
It began when relations between the Falcon Empire and the Elf Theocracy deteriorated due to the Hero Elan’s failure, causing the Hero Party’s departure to be postponed. Then came the surprise attack in Rob and the devastating news of the allied races’ crushing defeat at the hands of the demons’ large-scale counteroffensive.
Due to this chain of events, the alliance of races ultimately collapsed. They scattered and decided to retreat. In the process, Hector and the Hero Party—who had been supported by the allied forces—were left in a completely helpless position, like duck eggs floating down the river.
Although each of them possessed combat ability worthy of being chosen for the Hero Party, and they could have returned home to live as respected warriors, Hector and his comrades did not want that future at all.
Even though they came from different races, after spending so much time together they had become like family. The thought of parting from them—and worse, the possibility that they might one day have to turn their swords against each other—was an absolutely unacceptable future for Hector and his comrades.
I will definitely cut off the Demon King’s head. For the sake of my comrades, I must win!
Recalling the reason why he absolutely could not lose at this moment, the man who currently bore the title of “Hero”—even if only in name—poured every ounce of his strength into finding an opening in the opponent before him.
Fortunately, his opponent’s weapon was a gauntlet, which had relatively many openings. After a large swing of the fist, there was a tiny window of opportunity. Of course, if he took a direct hit, there was the risk of being knocked out in a single blow.
But for Hector, who had already steeled his resolve, that was a risk he could fully accept. He watched the Legion Commander’s wicked, powerful attack fly toward him until the very last possible moment.
And then—
“!”
“Haaaaah!”
The instant he dodged the incoming attack by a hair’s breadth, Hector launched a counterstrike. His high-speed, razor-sharp sword strike slammed directly into the wicked Legion Commander’s helmet, knocking it clean off.
Yes! Now I’ll go straight for her head…
Thinking that, Hector immediately moved to attack her now-exposed face. Convinced that no one could stop him now, he poured all his power into seizing the victory he had finally grasped.
But then—
“!!.....Huh?”
In the next instant, Hector felt as if his entire body had frozen solid. In the moment he swung his sword to strike the enemy’s head, he found himself completely unable to bring the blade down on the face before him.
A… a woman?... And this face… what the…
A strange sensation gripped his heart with overwhelming intensity. The hostility he had felt toward his opponent vanished in an instant, replaced by pure shock. Hector could only stare at her face with flushed cheeks and a dazed expression.
And the opening created by that hesitation…