The Succubus Queen, One of the Four Heavenly Kings
One by one, the charmed guild members began to break free from the spell.
If the Succubus Queen's royal guard had attacked us right then, things would have been difficult. But for some reason, they stood still. The monster was likely arrogant. Since this place had been designed as a trap to catch the Hero and me from the very beginning... she was simply taking her sweet time, gloating.
The Succubus Queen, who had been playing with Namgung Min like a toy, prepared to unleash a spell in our direction.
"Yu Jin, stop that bitch!"
The moment the words left my mouth, the Hero lunged forward. Five distinct types of magic gathered in his right hand.
Fire, water, lightning, wind, and earth. The power of the five elements...
With the five elements swirling in his palm, the Hero charged at the Succubus Queen at blinding speed—
Elemental Strike
And swung.
"My, my. What an incredibly rude Hero."
The Succubus Queen didn't even flinch, effortlessly dodging the blow.
"Tsk!"
Namgung Min seized the opening to swing his sword, and the Hero moved in perfect harmony, coordinating his strikes with the Sword Saint's.
The Hero drew his sword, seamlessly weaving magic and swordsmanship together in a relentless assault.
While Namgung Min's blade had been read all too easily, the Hero's swordplay was on a different level.
The Succubus Queen could no longer simply dodge or parry; she was forced to deploy a magical shield to block his strikes.
One could say the tide was turning in our favor.
"Go, my children!"
With that command, she mobilized her royal guard. Having fully recovered, the guard bypassed the two men and charged straight toward us.
The Hero and Namgung Min tried to intercept them, but the Succubus Queen held them in place.
"Tsk..."
Not everyone had woken up yet. Even those who had broken free from the charm hadn't recovered enough to fight.
"Monk! Seohui! Take the others and fall back!"
I reached my right hand toward my left wrist. There was no point in hiding my power anymore. I had to fight with everything I had. Honestly, from the moment this place manifested as a Gate, I knew it would come to this.
Well then, it's been a while. Time to go wild!
I transformed All Master into a massive greatsword and unleashed a wide horizontal slash, halting the royal guard's advance. Then, I dispersed my Holy Power into the surroundings to erect a barrier.
"If you want to get past me, you'll have to go through me first."
I reshaped All Master back into a more manageable sword and drew the regular blade at my waist. I wasn't particularly fond of dual-wielding, but...
The royal guard immediately shifted their target to me and charged.
I held my ground, dodging and blocking their attacks, striking back aggressively whenever an opening presented itself.
Sigh... It wasn't a long clash. It had only been a brief skirmish of about three to four minutes, but I could keenly feel how rusted my combat instincts had become.
In the past, a fight of this level wouldn't have exhausted or flustered me like this... It was harder to move than I expected. It wasn't like I had gained weight, but my body felt strangely heavy.
"Phew..."
Still, I had no intention of backing down. Glancing behind me, I saw the awakened guild members supporting each other as they retreated. I was glad they hadn't foolishly rushed in to help. They would have only been in the way.
I unleashed an explosion of Divinity toward the oncoming monsters. I had plenty of Holy Power... My skills might be a bit rusty, but I could hold them off—no, I could win.
While the Hero and Namgung Min keep the Queen occupied, I'll wipe out at least half of her royal guard. With that goal in mind, I moved.
I swung my arms, wielding my blades. I kicked, leaped, counterattacked with Divine Magic, and healed myself whenever I got hurt...
"Ugh!"
A blade thrust from behind caught me off guard. It didn't pierce all the way through, but it bit deep. In the past, I would never have allowed such an easy hit... I had grown soft. Far too soft.
Suppressing the pain, I sealed the wound with Divine Magic and used All Master to smash the head of the enemy who had stabbed me. As expected, nothing beat a morning star when it came to crushing skulls.
"Haah..."
Have I been too lazy? I knew the Other World was bleeding into Earth through the Gates, yet I hadn't even thought about training. I had been too arrogant.
"Sister!"
I heard my sister shouting from behind. Ignoring her, I focused entirely on the battle.
I transformed All Master into a shield to block incoming spells, counterattacking with Holy Light. For enemies that closed in, I used my sword. I endured the melee combat through a combination of sword and shield, countering long-range spells with Divine Magic. My mind understood what to do, but my physical reactions were half a beat too slow.
My shoulder was pierced, and I took a few spells head-on, but thanks to my sturdy physical constitution, I managed to endure. Still, the damage was piling up.
"Blegh!"
I ended up coughing up a mouthful of dark, congested blood... Behind me, voices cried out in worry. If you have time to worry, snap out of it and help me... But they still seemed to be struggling under the lingering effects of the charm.
"Ha."
I've really gotten weak...
Just then, a colossal wave of energy exploded from up ahead.
"The Hero...?"
The Hero's overwhelming power... I had no idea what had triggered such an explosive outburst from him, but it was my chance. A portion of the royal guard peeled off to protect the Queen, easing the pressure on me. My combat senses were finally starting to return... Time to finish the rest.
With their numbers thinned, they were much easier to handle. In particular, the monsters had no idea how to deal with All Master's shape-shifting abilities. One moment it was a spear, the next an axe, and when blocking magic, it became a massive tower shield. The rapid transformations and adaptability—the sheer unpredictability of it—left the monsters utterly bewildered.
I decapitated a monster that had left itself wide open. Watching its head fly off in a satisfying arc, a smirk crept onto my lips.
"Haah, that Hero..."
Would he be alright? Considering the Queen's strength, I needed to back him up as soon as possible... but there were still too many monsters left.
Suddenly, someone rushed forward from behind me.
"I shall assist you!"
It was the monk, who had broken free of the charm relatively quickly.
"Ha, I guess being a monk pays off after all?"
"Sister!"
Right behind him was my sister, Seohui.
"What about the others?"
"Those who woke up are looking after them. They... they should be fine."
"I see..."
"Don't let your guard down."
"Right."
With my sister and the monk joining the fray, things became much easier. It felt incredibly reassuring not to have to shoulder everything alone.
Together, the three of us wiped out the twenty royal guards. Well, technically, since I had already slain eight of them, we only had to clean up the remaining twelve.
"Do you think Min is alright?"
"Probably?"
Considering I could still feel the Hero's powerful aura, they were likely holding their own.
"Monk, gather the guild members and move them out."
"Understood."
"Seohui, you..."
What should I do with my sister?
"I'm coming with you."
"Tsk..."
"I said I'm coming!"
"Do whatever you want."
Rather than wasting time arguing with my stubborn sister, I decided it was better to quickly reinforce the Hero and Namgung Min. The distance wasn't great, so we arrived at the battlefield in no time. In the first place, we wouldn't have been separated at all if the Hero hadn't pushed the Succubus Queen back.
"Yu Jin!"
I immediately cast blessings and healing spells on him. Though his wounds were mostly minor, even small cuts could accumulate and slow down a fighter's movements.
"Thanks."
The Hero turned his head toward me, flashed a grin, and darted back into action. Fighting at full strength, the Hero was so incredibly fast and powerful that even Namgung Min struggled to keep up with his movements.
"W-what..."
My sister, witnessing this, gasped in sheer disbelief.
"What are you so surprised about?"
"I mean... how can I not be?"
That Hero... he's gotten even stronger than I remember. Unlike me, who had grown rusty during my year on Earth, he had continued to fight on the front lines, constantly growing stronger. The gap between us was stark.
"Even so, he can't win on his own."
The Succubus Queen was simply too formidable to be defeated so easily. They could buy time, but neither side could land a decisive blow. That wretched monster knew it, too.
"Let's help them first."
Namgung Min was currently holding off the royal guards who had returned to assist the Queen. They were no pushovers, and their sheer numbers had him struggling, but with our arrival, we could easily turn the tables.
"I am deeply sorry..."
The moment Namgung Min saw us, he immediately apologized.
"What are you apologizing for?"
"For foolishly attempting to face her alone."
Well, at least he's self-aware.
"So, how was it fighting her?"
"I was utterly outmatched... Ha, is this what it feels like to be a frog in a well?"
"Min..."
My sister looked at him with deep concern.
"Then do what you need to do. While Yu Jin and I keep the boss pinned down, take the guild members, search the castle, and clear the Gate."
"Mmm... I understand."
My sister, however, hesitated to leave.
"Seohui."
"Yeah..."
I approached Seohui, cast a quick soundproofing spell to ensure our voices wouldn't carry, and whispered in her ear.
"Take that man and get out of here, quickly."
"W-what do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. We can only fight at full strength if there are no onlookers."
"Ah..."
We couldn't afford to show our true power to others. Well, we had already shown a fair amount of strength, but the absolute peak of the Hero and the Saintess had to remain a secret.
"Okay."
Only then did my sister finally move. Namgung Min offered us a final wish for good fortune before they departed.
"Well then, shall we?"
I discarded my battered, ruined sword and stepped forward, holding only All Master. The Hero... was empty-handed, his own sword apparently broken.
I reshaped All Master into the form of the Holy Sword and hurled it onto the battlefield.
The spinning blade sliced through the air, landing squarely between the Hero and the Succubus Queen, forcing them both to halt.
"The Goddess's servant has slaughtered all my children, I see."
Since there was no longer any need to hold back...
"You're next."
I replied in the language of the Other World. The Succubus Queen, Calliope, burst into a loud, mocking laugh, as if she found the whole situation highly amusing.
"Fufu, this castle is a trap designed specifically to catch you two. And now..."
She was about to spring the trap. I already knew.
"Hero!"
The Hero grabbed All Master in its Holy Sword form, spun on his heel, and unleashed a massive, sweeping slash.
An colossal wave of sword energy... It was a devastating slash, a violent fusion of Holy Power, magic, and the Hero's raw strength.
"As expected of the Hero and the Saintess!"
With a sly smirk, the Succubus Queen blocked the slash with a defensive spell. At that moment, an ominous, malevolent energy began to pool at the very peak of the castle.
"Tsk, we couldn't stop it in time."
That trap had been activated back then, too. A spell designed to plunge its victims into an eternal slumber...
"I destroyed the magic circle! Its power won't be as strong as it was back then!"
True...
"I'm not sure if even I can withstand it this time."
Back then, I still had my connection to the Goddess...
"I'll hold it off, so don't worry."
The Hero declared firmly. For a fleeting moment, my heart skipped a beat at his reassuring, dependable presence.
For now, let's harass the Queen as much as possible to delay the spell's activation...