Faenol's consciousness was sinking down to somewhere deep.

She could feel herself gradually subsiding into her inner world.

The more she sunk down, the more things she ‘had been turning her eyes from’ in her life showed up.

From hardened inscape, twisted emotions, memories that would cut her heart to pieces every time she ruminated on it.

“...”

To Faenol Lipek, the world had always been a place filled with pain and grief.

Even so, she liked all the moments of the ‘times when she was alive’ that she could remember.

Because everything got into a horrible situation—her birthplace in the countryside where she was first born, the Magic Tower, where she had made her home next…

And the people around her.All of them had met an ill-fated end.

“That’s why I’m doing this all for you.”

A voice echoed in her head as her mind slowly sunk in deeper.

She focused her blurred vision and looked ahead.

There was a woman right in front of her, staring into her eyes while resting her chin on her hand.

If Faenol was enveloped by the color ‘red’, she would look like the woman in front of her.

Of course, they didn’t look exactly the same, there were differences to their appearance.

The woman looked older. Perhaps if Faenol were to live for a few more years, she’d look exactly like her.

“It’s better to not feel anything at all. Deep inside your heart, you already know this.”

“...”

“Living in this world is painful. You won’t lose anything if you don’t accept anything.”

Sadness… Remorse…

And… Maybe even compassion… She could feel such a vibe emanating from the woman/

It didn’t really befit the image of a being that was called the ‘Devil’.

“...Then—”

Despite her faint consciousness, Faenol managed to utter her words.

“...Why…did you save me…?”

The first Crimson Night Incident, the first time she had died.

It was the moment when she first realized that to others, she was as cursed-being.

The one who saved her back then was the woman before her eyes, the Red Devil.

What she didn’t understand was that, if the Red Devil knew that her past was filled with such painful memories…

She could have just…

Let her die…

So that she could rest in peace…

And yet she didn’t.

For what purpose had she done it? What was it that she wanted from her?

What exactly was her reason for saving her life, even going as far as taking away all of her emotions and senses?

“...”

For a while, the Devil kept her silence.

“...Take a moment of rest, Faenol.”

Such words echoed one after another in her dazed mind.

“The next time you open your eyes, the world where you will never get hurt will be complete.”

Those were the last words that Faenol heard.

Before her consciousness was completely plunged into darkness.

●

Scary.

If she were to express what was going on in her head right now, that was the only word that came out.

Iliya Krisanax gripped the Holy Sword with trembling hands.

Laid before her eyes was a scene that she had seen once before.

The ‘Devil' inside a huge column of fire.

With two horns laid on top of her head, and slit pupils decorating her eyes.

Faenol Lipek, in a pose as if she was hugging her own body, laid motionless inside that column of fire.

Her gaze was drawn upwards, yet her eyes had lost their light.

It was as if she was trying to look for something.

…He said there’s no time for me to waste.

Iliya recalled the words Dowd had uttered to her before she came here.

He said that the longer the Red Devil stayed in this world, the more area would be affected by the terraforming.

If the situation didn’t change and the Vessel came into contact with the Void Zone…

An apocalypse might happen.

“...”

Since that was the case, the thing that she had to do was clear.

Whatever happened, whoever the opponent was…

Iliya took a deep breath as she tightened her grip on the Holy Sword.

In truth…

She didn’t believe that she could pull this off.

So far, it was Dowd who was standing in her current position while her role was mostly as a support for him.

Now that he wasn’t here with her, she genuinely couldn’t believe that she could do this.

But, it was still better if she were to do something than just stand around and watch the apocalypse start!

“Hmph!”

Striking the ground with her heel, she took a deep breath before she started dashing.

In any case, her title as the Hero Candidate wasn’t just for show.

With the combat skills she gained by training with the Fist Saint and her Eye of Truth, it wouldn’t be completely impossible for her to trade blows with the Red Devil.

…First, I need to cut the flame, create a stepping stone with Magic Power, get to the Main Body and force her into a close combat…

This was the first time she ever challenged a Devil to a fight, but the fight itself wouldn’t even start unless she’d go that far.

As she thought so…

The very next moment…

Her body was bounced off violently.

She hadn’t even approached the edge of the flame that made up the column of fire, yet this happened.

“...”

Her pupils became dilated.

It took her a while.

To understand what had just happened.

…I, just now…

The culprit here was the ‘pressure’ that came out of the flame.

To be exact, the reverberation that was caused by the Demonic Aura, the relatively harmless thing that was emanated by the column of fire.

And that thing pushed her away before she could even get close to it.

While this happened, Faenol’s body inside the column of fire didn’t budge at all. Which meant she didn’t even notice that Iliya was there, nor did she consciously try to push her away.

To put it in a more simple term…

Iliya was lost to her ‘breath’.

“...!”

After that realization, her eyes went bloodshot.

Things couldn’t be more humiliating than this for her.

Almost immediately after that, she gritted her teeth and once again rushed in that direction.

To her…

It would be better to get completely crushed by her opponent’s single strike.

But this…

Made her think that her opponent didn’t even see her as something worth dealing with…

“...”

And it was the truth, she couldn’t even do anything to the Devil.

She couldn’t even find a way to defeat her, let alone deal with her.

Even while she was using the Eye of Truth, she couldn’t gain any information whatsoever.

“...”

Iliya gritted her teeth and attempted another rush.

If it didn’t work, then she’d keep doing it until it worked.

With such a reckless thought, she charged in.

Once…

Twice…

Thrice, four times, five times, six times, seven times…

“...”

Each time she tried, she kept getting thrown away.

She couldn’t even get close to her opponent properly.

The gap that existed between them was so big that it negated her pride, self-esteem, all the hard work she had done—everything.

“...Don’t screw with me…!”

Such a feeling might have been the driving force for her to move her body at first.

How many times…

Just how many times did she rush toward the flame?

She could feel the sensations all over her body getting fainter and fainter.

Her opponent wasn’t even interested in her in the first place.

She didn’t even possess the intent to cause that level of harm on Iliya.

“...”

Ten times, a hundred times, a hundred and fifty times…

Just a few minutes had passed and Iliya had already lost count of how many times she had been thrown away.

Blisters filled her whole body, which wasn’t a strange outcome. To continuously come in contact with the Demonic Aura, even though it was merely its reverberation, further increased the number of scratches on her body. The minor injuries and pain that she felt were also gradually accumulated.

Not only bruises, her body was also covered in dirt and blood.

Two hundred times, three hundred times, three hundred and fifty times…

Has an hour already passed?

“...”

It hurts.

It hurts so much.

The pain made it feel as if her whole body was tearing apart.

Even though she kept on rushing forward…

She was still unable to close the ‘gap’ with her opponent.

Her opponent was strong, unbelievably so. The difference in their strength was like heavens and earth, it made her feel like she was a helpless bug.

She even started thinking that fighting back was a meaningless endeavor.

“...”

And yet….

Once again, she took a deep breath and adjusted the Holy Sword in her hands.

Although there were many psychological mechanisms that supported Iliya Krisanax.

…Even with such a crazy gap…

That person…

…No matter how painful it is…

Even with such a large gap between him and his opponents, he always rushed forward without fear.

He endured the pain of his body being torn apart, all because it was something that he had to do.

-It'll be okay.

She remembered the words that she received not too long ago.

The words that came out of that person’s mouth.

-You can do it.

“...I know.”

She gritted her teeth.

Holding her shaking legs, she got up, using the sword as a staff.

“...I know, Teach.”

That man acknowledged her. He genuinely believed that she would be able to do it.

If she couldn’t endure this much, she didn’t even deserve to be next to him.

As she thought so, strength entered her body again. She raised her body, which was filled with injuries at this point.

“...”

She took a deep breath and clutched the Holy Sword.

Though she was so exhausted that her arms felt like jelly, she still got into position properly again.

“...Euryap!”

With such a determined shout.

Iliya advanced forward without hesitation.

And the next moment.

-!

For the first time, part of the flame around Faenol was ‘cut’.

“...Huh?”

Iliya's eyes widened.

It was very weak.

But, she had indeed inflicted some damage to her opponent for the first time.

The way Faenol flinched and looked in her direction proved that he wasn’t just hallucinating.

However, there was something else that surprised her more than that.

“...”

She glared at the Holy Sword with a sharp gaze.

It shone just now, didn’t it?

Ugh, c’mon…

Why did it respond to me when I got back my nerve while thinking about that guy?!

I know I’m head over heels with that guy, but still…!

[...Well, that’s because the Holy Sword only reacts when the user’s will is in the most firm state. That’s how it has always been from generation to generation.]

“W-Whoa?!”

Iliya freaked out as she looked at the Holy Sword.

Unless she was crazy…

She was sure that the ‘voice’ just now came from the sword.

“...”

Did this thing…

Just speak?

I wasn’t just hearing things, right?!

As she thought so while looking at the Holy Sword…

“...Who are you talking with?”

A familiar voice knocked on the rim of her ear.

Startled, Iliya turned around to see behind her…

Only to find Dowd looking at her dumbfoundedly.

“Should I say… As expected of the Hero? You really got this far by yourself, huh?”

“...Teach?”

Iliya said, looking as if she was slightly choking up.

She wasn’t sure why she was acting like this.

She also didn’t know why this man was here.

She didn’t know how the hell did he got here in the first place.

And she also didn’t know what the fuck happened to that Hell Guard or whatnot.

There were a lot of questions she wanted to ask and answers she wanted to hear.

“...”

But…

Somehow, the ‘uneasiness’ she felt from him seemed to have been washed away. That was probably the only answer she needed.

“Yeah, it’s me, your Teach. I came to help you.”

What he said afterwards proved her guess.

“You still need to do the finishing blow though.”

Dowd said with a grin.

His expression was enough to make Iliya's eyes widened for a moment.

…This.

Was the Dowd that she knew.

The man who, no matter how difficult the situation he got into…

Would turn it into the direction he ‘envisioned it so’.

“You look better now, Teach.”

Iliya said with a chuckle.

Her own attitude when she found out that this man’s condition had improved left her in disbelief.

Even though her condition was no better than him, as she was riddled with wounds here and there as well.

“So, any plans?”

“Ah, yes, I got one, of course.”

Dowd replied, still grinning.

After that, he pointed at Faenol.

Then, with a nonchalant tone, he opened his mouth again.

“I’m gonna eat her.”

“...What?”

“Like I said, I’m gonna…uh…eat her. Thoroughly”

“...”

Iliya silently looked at Faenol, who was inside the column of fire, and Dowd alternately.

Hm.

I see.

Eat her, huh?

Thoroughly, huh?

“...You perverted bastard.”

“...What did I do to be called that?”

There was something that she had forgotten about.

It was that in this state, in most cases, Dowd would make crazy remarks like this.