While the noisy crowd of onlookers buzzed around him, Izhidoro wore a smile on his face, feeling that the moment to settle old scores had finally come.

“Something funny happen?” Seiten asked, scratching his chin as he addressed Izhidoro.

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, come on now. You might have your face covered with that hood, but you’re not hiding that smile.”

Izhidoro, as if scolding himself, quickly brushed his hand across his mouth through the hood, wiping away the smile.

“The death knight I’ve been hunting so desperately has come here to be killed by me. It’s only natural that a smile would appear.”

His words dripped with confidence. In fact, his entire posture radiated a sense of overwhelming power, and it was clear he had no thought of losing.

“You seem awfully confident in front of me.”

“I don’t think you’ll be able to escape from me.”

“Ki ki ki!” Seiten laughed mockingly.

“What’s so funny?”

“I’ve heard about you. It seems you ran away quite pathetically from Merito, didn’t you? Left behind some old folks too, didn’t you? I could never pull something like that off. And now, you stand here, telling me I won’t be able to escape from you—ki ki ki! How could I not laugh at that?”

“You bastard—!”

This was a sore spot for Izhidoro.

During his fierce battle with Merito, Izhidoro had been thrown off the battlefield by Miroslava Berinje Antonenko, the Great Witch of Barakiom, who, judging that the hero would lose, intervened. By the time Izhidoro rushed back to the battlefield, his army had already been defeated, and Zephyr Bloodoff Krivov, the Hero of Kanumnet and the de facto commander of the allied forces, ordered a retreat.

Fearing that he would be branded a coward for retreating from Merito, Izhidoro tried to refuse the order. But Zephyr persuaded him, reminding him not to let Miroslava’s death be in vain and that dying against an unbeatable enemy, especially a death knight, would serve no one. Izhidoro eventually led the retreat. However, he later learned that while ordering the retreat, Zephyr stayed behind to fight as the rearguard, holding off the immortal mercenaries and dying in the process.

“I can’t afford to lose again.”

Upon returning to the Kingdom of Kanumnet, Izhidoro was met with cold stares. Zephyr had been an enormous figure for both the nobility and the people, and as the hero, Izhidoro had also been highly anticipated. With one of the kingdom’s two great pillars gone, it was up to Izhidoro to restore both his pride and the kingdom’s dignity. Even while under house arrest, he began hunting followers of the Immortality Cult without consulting anyone, and his actions soon spread beyond the borders.

“You don’t need to make such a scary face—wait a minute.”

Seiten’s previously relaxed expression hardened. But his gaze wasn’t directed at Izhidoro anymore—

“Hey, shorty with the black hair! Get over here!”

“You’re the short one. If you need something, come over here yourself.”

It was Yuu.

“Hold on a second.”

Seiten casually waved Izhidoro off and started walking toward Yuu. Yuu, in turn, signaled to Marifa and the others to step back and approached Seiten himself.

“Heh, at least you’re not some pathetic guy hiding behind women.”

“And here I thought you had something important to say. Death knights must have a lot of free time if they’re just going around spouting nonsense.”

They glared at each other, standing at the same eye level. Seiten was about 152–153 centimeters tall, but his presence made him seem much larger, an illusion likely caused by his demeanor and the air of authority surrounding him.

“Goria… you know the name, don’t you?”

“I do. It’s the name of a piece of trash.”

Yuu’s provocation made a vein bulge on Seiten’s forehead. The crowd surrounding them instinctively widened the circle, as Seiten’s pressure surged explosively.

“As you say, Goria was a piece of trash. But what would you do if you saw the people from Jardaluck kill your mother right before your eyes? That’s enough to break anyone.”

Seiten’s breath came out heavily as he tried to suppress his rage, his teeth gritting audibly.

“I couldn’t care less.”

“You little brat—”

Seiten, baring his fangs like a beast ready to devour Yuu, closed the distance even more until their foreheads were almost touching.

“Keep running your mouth, and I’ll kill you.”

“Your breath stinks, so stop talking.”

The two were locked in an intense stare-off.

Their red eyes gleamed—one pair clear and sharp, the other murky and bloodshot. Neither backed down.

“That piece of trash was still my little brother.”

“If you loved him that much, I’ll send you to meet him.”

Seiten’s fur stood on end, as though expressing the fury coursing through his body. He inhaled deeply, expanding his chest, and then—

“RAAAARRRGHHHH!!!”

The roar echoed like a shockwave. Some of the onlookers fainted on the spot from the sheer force.

“I’ve been ordered not to lay a hand on you for now, so I’ll let you off. But one day—I’ll make sure you pay for this.”

Having released both his rage and his roar, Seiten’s expression turned calm as he walked back toward Izhidoro. Yuu watched him leave, seething inside.

(One day? He thinks there’ll be a next time? Idiot. I’ll kill him right here and now.)

Just as Yuu prepared to unsheathe his greatsword and strike from behind—

“Aaaaaahhh!”

A loud scream rang out.

Yuu glanced over and saw Nina’s ice cream lying on the ground. He muttered to himself, “How pointless,” but just as he was about to resume his attack—

“Yuu, my ice cream…”

In an instant, the killing intent—the desire to kill Seiten—vanished. Yuu frowned, sensing the strangeness of the situation.

(What… is this?)

How could such a trivial matter make him forget the chance to kill a death knight? Before Yuu could fully comprehend it, his thoughts began to scatter.

(This feeling… it’s not the first time…)

Yuu realized that something was happening to him.

(This is the same feeling I had with Nina… in bed… or in the bath… together…)

He tried to fight it, activating his Parallel Thinking skill to process multiple thoughts at once, but one by one, each thought was carefully erased.

“Yuu! Are you listening?”

“Fine, fine. I’ll buy you a new one.”

“Yay!”

“Nina, that’s not fair! Lord Odo, I want one too!”

In the end, Yuu missed his chance to kill Seiten, and the question of why he had missed it had already faded from his mind. With a grumble, he followed Nina to buy her a new ice cream.

“Is something wrong?” Marifa asked, watching him carefully.

“No… nothing,” Yuu replied.

Lena curiously asked Marifa a question, as she noticed Marifa's gaze was focused on Nina, who was chasing after Yuu.

※

"My bad. I had you move all the way here just for my convenience," Seiten said.

Seiten and Izhidoro had relocated to a grassy plain in the mountains, away from the town.

"You don’t need to worry. Even though you're just a heretic, as a hero, I still have enough compassion to let you choose where you want to die," Izhidoro replied.

"Kiki. A hero, huh?"

"We’ll see how long you can keep that creepy smile on your face."

In an instant, Izhidoro's body shot forward as if it had been propelled, closing the distance with Seiten. Using Spirit Magic, Rank 1, Wind Repression, he directed the magic behind him, enabling high-speed movement without any preparatory motions. Without losing any momentum, Izhidoro slashed at Seiten with his sacred sword, Wind Wheel.

"Kiki. With just that, you can’t even scratch me."

It was just a test strike, but Seiten easily blocked the sword with the staff in his hand.

"Impressive... To block my sword with just a staff?" Izhidoro said, pressing harder.

"This isn’t just any ordinary stick."

Izhidoro tried to push forward using his strength, but Seiten’s raw power reversed the pressure, forcing Izhidoro to step back.

(He’s not an opponent I can underestimate.)

With just one exchange, Izhidoro realized that tricks wouldn’t work. This was no ordinary enemy; after all, he carried the title of a hero as well.

"Take this! The full might of a hero’s sword!"

The blade of the Wind Wheel sword began to glow a jade green. Izhidoro unleashed his signature move, the Wind Wheel Mist Slash. The only opponent who had ever survived this technique was Merito. Every other enemy, whether human or monster, had been sliced to pieces.

"Kiki! This is going to be fun!" Seiten laughed.

"Shut up!"

Dozens of slashes with changing speeds poured down on Seiten in mere seconds. To withstand such an attack would be unbearable for most. Yet— Seiten blocked every single strike. His eyes darted rapidly, predicting the oncoming slashes, receiving, parrying, and deflecting them all.

(This is absurd! How can he withstand it? And why can’t my sacred sword cut through that stick of his?!)

Due to the battle with Merito, Izhidoro's Wind Wheel had sustained quite a bit of damage, but even so—there was no reason it shouldn’t be able to slice through a staff.

"What’s the matter? You look surprised. Are you in awe of my beautiful technique?"

"Beautiful technique…?"

"Yep. When you reach my level, even simple blocking turns into an art, kiki!"

"So, you’re saying the reason my sacred sword can’t cut your staff is because of your skill?"

"Well, yeah. I could say that, but nah, that’s not the whole story."

Seiten twirled his staff above his head and continued.

"That sacred sword of yours is, what, a second-rate weapon at best? I don’t need a skill like Appraisal to figure that out."

"And what of it?" Izhidoro retorted.

"Kiki, no need to get all worked up. We’ve got plenty of time to enjoy this fight without anyone interfering. But you know, that sacred sword suits you perfectly."

"What are you implying?"

"I’m saying, a second-rate hero deserves a second-rate sword."

"How dare you!"

Enraged, Izhidoro unleashed Spirit Magic, Rank 7, Whirling Spear Storm. A massive vortex of wind ripped across the grassy plains, tearing through the earth as it rushed toward Seiten. However, Seiten leaped high into the sky, dodging the attack.

(He’s in mid-air now. He won’t be able to dodge the next strike!)

Izhidoro raised his sword and prepared to unleash his ultimate move, the Absolute Air Assault.

But—

"Oh? What’s the matter? Not going to attack?" Seiten mocked from above.

Seiten, who should have been falling from the sky, remained suspended in mid-air. Realizing his strike would miss, Izhidoro hesitated, keeping his sword raised but not swinging.

"Kiki! Just so you know, it’s not magic keeping me up here. It’s the skill from these boots. All of my gear is top-tier, you know. And this staff of mine? It's no ordinary stick; it’s called the Ruyi Jingu Bang. Pretty cool name, huh?"

"Top-tier…?"

"Yep! A first-class hero like me needs first-class equipment, right?"

Izhidoro’s mind went blank for a split second. That moment of hesitation created an opening, but Seiten didn’t attack. He waited.

"You... you’re telling me you're a hero, just like me?" Izhidoro asked in disbelief.

"Why are you so surprised? Surely you don’t think only humans can be heroes, do you?"

"Is this some trick to make me lower my guard?" Izhidoro snapped.

"Kiki! You’re full of openings already, and you still don’t get it."

The thought of a heretic being a hero was absurd to Izhidoro. Fueled by rage, he launched himself into the sky where Seiten floated. Izhidoro was not only a master swordsman but also an expert in wind magic, making aerial combat his specialty.

"Hate to spoil the surprise, but that parry from earlier? That was a hero’s technique," Seiten said with a grin.

"Shut up!" Izhidoro roared.

In the air, sparks flew as Izhidoro’s furious slashes clashed against Seiten’s blocks, and Seiten even countered with his own strikes.

"Die!"

Though blinded by rage, Izhidoro’s vast combat experience kicked in. His body naturally moved to perform the most effective attacks. Amidst the onslaught, he forcefully activated his Sword Technique, Level 6, Blooming Chaos Sword Dance.

"Oho! Now that’s some intense swordplay!"

In that split second, time seemed to freeze as Izhidoro unleashed a flurry of chaotic, high-speed strikes. His superhuman vision caught sight of Seiten’s elegant movements, fluidly blocking every attack with masterful precision.

And then— their eyes met.

"Did you see it? That was my Heaven and Earth Flowing Staff technique. Now, let me show you something else!"

Suddenly, Seiten’s body was engulfed in flames, and a gigantic fire giant appeared.

"See it? Now that you’ve seen it—die!"

The fire giant gripped a massive staff, swinging it down at Izhidoro’s head. Izhidoro desperately summoned wind magic and used his sacred sword to defend, but the giant’s staff crushed him, smashing both the sword and Izhidoro into the ground. The impact resonated not just through the mountains, but even reached the nearby towns and villages, leaving a massive scar in the earth.