The witch might be heading to the magic circle in the center of the city through the sewers.

Honestly, it was just baseless speculation on my part.

The only evidence I had was Leon’s drawings and my gut feeling.

In this critical situation, where every person who could protect the citizens from the lesser demonic beasts was precious, I found myself contemplating whether it was right to leave my post because of such slim odds.

However, if my thoughts were correct, and the witch was truly targeting the barrier,

the consequences of leaving that unaddressed would be the worst possible scenario I could imagine.

So, I sprinted to the shelter nearby and used the emergency contact system to leave a message for Teacher Eve, suggesting that something might happen, and I would briefly check the sewer.

I plunged my body into the long sewers running beneath the city, hoping my instincts were wrong.

*

Naturally, the sewers sprawled beneath the city in a complicated network, much like the roots of plants.

However, deciding where to stand guard didn’t take much consideration.

If the witch had entered the city through the sewers, her paths to the center would be limited.

Thus, this was the place.

I was certain that if I had to protect anything, it would be here, so I took my position and scrutinized the other side of the long sewer.

The reason I could be so certain was clear.

While there were many side passages around, most of them were low and narrow, requiring one to bend down to pass through.

On the other hand, the path where I stood was wide enough for a person to stand comfortably and move about.

Of course, one could think that other individuals might choose a more unexpected route out of determination to achieve their goals. But I knew better than anyone else.

When it came to a witch, that was unlikely.

Witches are strong.

Being strong means there’s no reason to lower oneself.

A being with such pride would surely not choose a narrow and uncomfortable passage over this wide one.

And then, from the far end of the long sewer, I heard footsteps.

For a brief moment, I thought it might be a citizen who had escaped the lesser demonic beasts, but as the sound neared at an unusual speed, I quickly dismissed that possibility.

Soon, the only light present in this dark sewer— the faint glow of the light magic that was sparsely installed— was overshadowed by a chilling brilliance.

It was the gleaming eyes of a beast shining through the darkness.

With that light, I realized my predictions had become a reality.

“…So, this really was the right spot.”

As I murmured this, I caught a glimpse of a figure dashing toward me, hair billowing like a lion’s mane, grinning wickedly.

A shiver ran down my spine, brushing against my nape.

An attack was coming.

Instinctively raising my arm to deflect the strike, I was suddenly reminded of Marin’s father, whose half-slit throat had been a haunting image in my mind.

In that moment, my will to counter-attack faltered, and instead, I leaned back with all my strength.

Barely in time, a sharply honed strike grazed the spot where my neck had been just moments ago.

Cold sweat trickled down my forehead.

Somewhere, deep down, I knew.

If I had attempted to counter that strike, my arm would have been severed.

Recalling that a being called the strongest shield of humanity, Marin’s father, had fallen to that witch, I chose in an instant to forgo defense and rely solely on evasion, a choice that saved my life.

I grimaced at the faint pain I felt on my forehead as I trembled slightly.

I thought I’d avoided it perfectly, but the aftermath had left a gash on my forehead, allowing me to feel the enemy’s overwhelming strength once again.

This was certainly an opponent far beyond me.

Could I really stop her?

Just as I was rising, feeling tense, I noticed the witch, ignoring me, turning to pass by the place I was meant to guard.

In that moment, a thought flashed in my mind.

It wasn’t about whether I could stop her; I had to stop her by any means necessary.

So, firmly deciding that, I found myself already speaking.

“…Isn’t it strange? I heard that a witch had invaded, yet…”

“What’s so strange?”

I wracked my brain, considering.

What could prevent the witch from simply passing by me?

How could I keep her focus on me?

“I’ve seen a few other witches before, so I know well how terrifying they can be.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, I arrived at a conclusion that wasn’t anything special.

“You seem too weak to be a witch.”

Just a simple conclusion that if she was a being whose pride was as strong as her power, she wouldn’t be able to ignore such an insult.

I spoke, trying to provoke her as much as possible, mocking her with a laugh.

“…Weak? Me?”

Right after that, the murderous intent pouring forth from her confirmed that my provocation had worked.

The problem was,

“Are you implying that a bug like you… dares to ignore me?!!!”

“Guh…!”

That provocation had stirred her rage beyond imagination.

With a gaze full of murderous intent, she lunged at me, seemingly ready to tear me to shreds.

I barely managed to evade by throwing my body to the side, the aftermath cutting close around me.

Blood sprayed from the gash forming on my skin.

However, it soon ceased.

One aspect I had come to appreciate about my current state was that negligible wounds didn’t disrupt my fighting.

Yet the witch’s rage-fueled attacks didn’t end with just one.

“I am Frieda, the Witch of Pride! I am not one to be judged by the likes of you!!!”

The witch, looking akin to a beast from a storybook, swung her elongated claws at me as she charged once again.

The malice in those claws left no option to defend.

Thus, all I could do was evade.

Even if she was a witch, those were merely claws.

However, those claws belonged to someone who referred to herself as the Witch of Pride.

If rage equated to flames and gluttony to regeneration,

then the ability of pride was to slice through.

Be it magic or a shield made of superpowers, it would be no different from paper against that power.

It was simple, yet that was what made it strong.

Not even weird to call it a divine power as the horrendous might surged through her swiping claws, I had to twist my body and focus on evasion without a moment to breathe.

Despite experiencing a gap of strength too wide to counterattack, I was still certain.

The moment when the red light signaling the left arm I had set up earlier began to blink, I lifted it toward the front.

And then, boom.

“Ha, you think you can hit me with such slow flames?”

As she diverted her attention toward the explosive flames, I took a moment to catch my breath, reaffirming my belief from earlier.

This woman right in front of me, Frieda, was not a witch.

She couldn’t possibly be one.

Therefore, I could stop her by any means necessary, like a self-hypnosis.

In reality, I was barely managing to evade her onslaught, but nevertheless, there were several reasons that confirmed she wasn’t a witch.

One reason was simply that I was well aware of the strength of witches.

“What the hell is that body? Are you not an ordinary human?”

“Well, who knows?”

While fleeing, I saw my wounds healing swiftly, and I forced a shrug in response to Frieda’s puzzled expression.

Meanwhile, I continued my inner thoughts.

Yes, I wasn’t an ordinary human.

Why did I know so well about the strength of witches?

It wasn’t merely from sight, but rather, I had experienced it firsthand.

The fact that I had acquired a body that healed on its own was a result of being abducted by a witch and being transformed into something close to a witch myself.

Though, I had only begun to grasp something recently.

My current body, much stronger than before due to becoming closer to witch-like strength, had still started off at a considerably weakened state.

The barrier that spread throughout the city weakens anyone with magical abilities upon entry.

Thus, it was only natural that I would weaken as I passed through that barrier into the city.

This realization stemmed from a dim memory of the day I had been rescued by Yoon Si-woo after being abducted by a witch.

Even though I was not entirely transformed into a witch, the power flowing in me then was incomparably greater than what I possessed now.

It seemed I had unintentionally weakened while passing through the barrier without realizing it.

In hindsight, the day I had been rescued from being abducted by Sator, Sylvia’s uncle, and feeling ill the following day could be explained by crossing through the barrier.

Regardless, I was someone who had firsthand experience with the power of witches.

If Frieda had been at my previous strength level before her weakening, I wouldn’t have been able to brazenly confront her like this.

However, while she had not been weakened by the barrier she crossed, she still fell short of the power of a half-baked witch like me, making me even more certain that she was not a witch.

There were other reasons I could ascertain that, but…

“It doesn’t matter. Either way, no matter what you are, you’ve offended me, and you will die!”

Amidst my thoughts, as I took a moment to gather my breath, Frieda shouted again as she charged towards me.

My relaxed expression was cracking under her attack.

Even knowing she wasn’t a witch did not reduce the gap in strength that existed between us at this moment.

I, in my current state, was still weaker than her.

Physically, in stamina, in speed, I was at a deficit.

It was a clear disadvantage stemming purely from the gap in physical abilities.

As she came at me, there was nothing I could do but evade with all my strength and buy some time.

“Coward!”

With each successive attack, wounds began to cover my entire body.

Occasionally, attacks that were more threatening than I expected began to cause injuries beyond mere scratches.

The speed at which new wounds appeared was outpacing my healing.

Breathing became labored; I felt the blood from my skin flowing gradually making my head feel dizzy.

I sensed the imminent fate of merely stalling for time before being ended by her hands.

At that moment,

“Guh…!”

Focusing on dodging the claws, I miscalculated and was struck by a kick that knocked the breath from my lungs, sending me rolling to the ground.

As my body responded sluggishly, I glared ahead to see Frieda approaching with a cold glance.

“Damned bug, can’t you just stop bothering me?”

With that, she lunged again.

In a scenario where despair and surrender would not be surprising, my body was already rolling on the ground, evading.

As she watched me attempt to evade while rolling, Frieda murmured with contempt.

“Truly repugnant. Give up this meaningless struggle and die gracefully.”

“…Who decided that it’s a meaningless struggle?”

I forced myself to respond, rising to my feet with great effort.

Realizing my insides were damaged due to the previous attack, I wiped the blood from my lips and glared with resolute eyes.

Indeed, as Frieda suggested, my actions could be viewed as meaningless struggles.

Even if I bought time like this, I had no certainty someone would come to my aid, nor did I stand any chance of defeating her.

Yet, that didn’t give me a reason to give up here.

I would do my utmost in the role I could take on.

Muttering to myself, I raised my fists and reinvigorated my will to fight once more.

“If you still don’t get it, I’ll personally show you it means nothing to struggle!”

I felt Frieda’s attack heading my way and silently took a step forward.

Think.

What came to mind were the memories of the training I had undergone.

“Always keep your senses open; it’s important.”

“Like a little rat, you evade!”

As I dodged an attack, another one flew from her other hand.

“Think ahead; when you move, reduce the gap between thought and action to the minimum.”

Predicting the incoming attacks as I continuously moved, I noticed the attacks homing closely around me that I had to evade nonchalantly, focusing on the next actions.

Fortunately, my opponent was emotionally charged, making her movements readable even for someone like me.

“Damn weakling!”

Daring to take on the risk of evading narrowly, I increasingly found myself with more room to maneuver.

Though she was more agile, my quick predictions and narrow evades allowed me to keep up.

Even though she was superior in pure physical abilities, the realizations I gained through training made this possible.

There had been someone who once feared battle and despised pain.

Yet, that individual endured the fear and discomfort to train.

That individual worked hard.

And I asked myself,

What were you fighting for all that long?

The answer was simple.

To be able to do what needed to be done.

And that moment was now.

“Y-You vile creature…!”

As time ticked on, my concentration deepened.

Conversely, my opponent’s increasingly frantic attacks simplified.

Intense physical exhaustion left me nearing my limits, yet I remained calm, simply bracing myself for the storm.

“Do not underestimate me!!!”

In the midst of excitement and anxiety, her movements were increasingly reckless.

In this single moment,

the claws bearing down upon me crossed.

“Guh?!”

“Her gaze is too straightforward. Her attacks are linear.”

As she glared at me with bulging anger, I scattered the blood flowing from my wounds to disrupt her focus.

To obscure her vision, I unleashed flames towards the water source running along the sewer, generating steam.

“That cheap trick…!”

As her vision was blocked, she flailed her claws wildly in confusion.

Though the mist quickly dissipated from the aftermath of her strikes,

I was already gone from right in front of her eyes.

Choosing to escape the indiscriminate barrage of attacks, my next move was to leap upward.

Looking upward just in time, I saw her attacking with her claws in vain.

By all means, normally I wouldn’t have had the ability to evade that jump there.

However, this was the sewer.

Of course, the ceilings above created a platform, and I leapt off of it.

In that brief moment, where I had been desperately trying to tail her movements,

I was able to pull ahead.

And just as I landed, my fist flew toward her back,

syphoning all my strength into one final strike.

Boom—

With a large roar, my flame-imbued fist exploded against Frieda’s back.

It would have, had it not been for the winged lesser demonic beast that suddenly appeared behind her.

“…Ah.”

In Frieda’s hand, which held a smug expression, was a black orb that summoned the lesser demonic beasts I’d seen before.

An involuntary sigh escaped my lips.

Was this a failure? As that thought crossed my mind, a lethal strike lunged from the creature on fire, severing my right arm.

Thud, the sound of my arm dropping to the ground echoed like thunder.

The pain of losing my arm was overshadowed by the anguish of having failed to seize the perfect opportunity.

I couldn’t bring myself to scream even.

My body, exhausted from pouring all my strength into that last attack, trembled gently from the shock of losing my arm.

“Somehow, I managed to leave a few behind, but I never expected to have to draw on the power of such a damned… bug in a fight like this. To think I’d be humbled by such indignities…”

Shaking in humiliation, Frieda turned toward me, who was unable to move.

With a thud, her attack bore down upon me.

In a scenario devoid of hope, my body was already rolling away, evading.

As she watched me, Frieda murmured in utter contempt.

“Really, disgusting. Stop this meaningless flailing and die peacefully.”

“…….Who decided this is a meaningless struggle?”

I harshly retorted, forcing myself up from the ground.

It felt as if my insides were bruised from her previous blow, I wiped the blood trickling from my lips while glaring defiantly.

Indeed, what I was doing may very well be what she claimed— a meaningless struggle.

Even if I stalled for time, there was no guarantee someone would come to aid me, nor could I expect to win against her.

However, that didn’t give me cause to concede defeat here.

I resolved to do my utmost in the role I had to play.

Muttering to myself, I clenched my fists, reigniting my fighting spirit.

“If you truly don’t get it, I’ll make sure to demonstrate that it means nothing!”

I felt Frieda’s next strike directed toward me and silently took a step forward.

Focus.

I recalled the training I’d undergone.

“Always keep your senses open; it’s important.”

“Like a little rat, you evade!”

As I narrowly dodged an attack, another surged from her other hand.

“Think ahead. When moving, minimize the gap between thought and action.”

Trusting my instincts, I dextrously sidestepped, dodging what would have been a critical blow while maintaining composure.

Bearing the weight of her vitriolic eyes, I sensed my opponent was growing increasingly frustrated.

“Damn weakling!”

Being persistently attacked caused more injuries to accumulate on my body.

Gradually, however, attacks that were significantly more dangerous began to inflict wounds worse than before.

The pace of new wounds accumulating exceeded the speed of my healing abilities.

Labored breaths escaping my lips, I felt the blood from my body growing heavier, dulled by the haze in my head.

I instinctively sensed it— if things continued like this, the clock was running out.

The realization struck just as I understood I was fated to buy time in vain, spiraling toward demise by her hand.

At that exact moment,

“Guh…?!”

As I narrowly focused on dodging her claws, I got struck by a powerful kick, leading me to involuntarily cough and roll across the ground.

Propped against my uncertain body, as I glared onward, I saw Frieda approaching with a frigid stare.

“Damn bug, how troublesome you’ve become.”

With that remark, she charged at me again.

Though hopelessness might have dictated surrender, my body had already started to roll to evade.

Frieda watched me in disdain as I tried to evade.

“Truly repugnant. End this meaningless struggle and die gracefully.”

“…….Who decided this is a meaningless struggle?”

I forced a reply, doing my best to rise.

I wiped the blood pooling from my injured mouth in anger.

Indeed, what I was attempting could have been seen as a futile struggle, just as she noted.

Even if I did manage to stall for a moment, certainty remained elusive as to whether anyone would arrive on time.

Yet still, that could not serve as a valid excuse for acquiescence.

I would fight for my town, for the people, and for my friend, Yoon Si-woo.

The battles I engaged in had been but stepping stones in my growth.

As the thought rang clearly in my mind, I vowed to show them my worth.

“A—Are we done here?!”

In time, a fierce determination coursed through me.

Shuffling through the heat of battle, I felt every ragged breath pounding in my chest.

Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming rush, and from that spark ignited a surge of power coursing through me.

The moment the light appeared at my fingertips.

“R-Release!”

An explosive burst of brilliant light shattered around me, illuminating the darkness where I stood.

This was my ultimate move.

“Faces of power, hide not!”

The barrier that enveloped me released.

With each instantaneous pulse of raw energy pulsing through my veins, a newfound power surged within my hands.

A fierce whirlwind drew up the rage of the fight as a flurry of magic gathered, condensing around my fists.

“This time, you will know the full extent of my strength!”

With each incantation that slipped forth, I felt my aura ignite.

“By the grace of the heavens it shall fall upon you!”

Frieda took a step back, clutching at her crown of pride with a bewildered expression.

“Wha—?!”

There was an unprecedented shift in the air.

The clash of the impending storm resonated like a harbinger of calamity, awakening an unleashed power that threatened to engulf her.

How dare she dismiss my resolve?

Each strike of the storm echoed with my determination, an untamed strength ready to unfurl.

With every that moment built with unwavering resolve,

“Now, taste my might!”

I thundered forward, my fists crashing down with all-consuming flames.

An eruption that echoed through all realms as I engaged!

This was no mere struggle.

This was the manifestation of my life, the fury of battles fought, all converging into this singular moment.

And in that moment, I would end this.

“Prepare yourself!”

Beneath an onslaught of intoxicating magic, the light twisted around me, radiating an intensity that promised to seal her fate.

*

It was a flicker in time.

Darkness had begun to eclipse the light as the world stilled.

And then…

“…Scarlet!”

As the tempest roared, I plunged forth into infinity, with the remnants of light surviving like a phoenix rising from the ashes, and there I would stand— victorious in my final stand against the Witch of Pride!