“Wow! Nina-neechan, my ice cream is a triple scoop!”

“What!? That’s not fair! I should have gotten a triple instead of a double!”

“You two are still such children. I wish you’d take a lesson from Tin,” Tin said, trying to act mature.

“Tin, you can’t really say that with ice cream all over your face,” Nina teased.

Despite Tin's attempt to act grown-up, her face was smeared with ice cream, making her point quite ineffective. A little embarrassed, Aria and Pokori, who were watching, looked away when they noticed that Yuu had been observing their interactions.

“Melanie, if you noticed it, you could have told me to wipe my face!” Tin pouted.

As Nina and the others sat on the wooden bench eating their ice cream, Yuu observed them from a short distance, while Marifa watched Yuu intently from afar.

“Something on your mind, sister?” Vanamo asked worriedly as she approached Marifa.

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about me. You should go stay by the master’s side.”

“Yes, I understand.”

With Marifa’s words, Vanamo left without asking further questions and made her way back to Yuu’s side.

(I still haven’t fully recovered my hearing.)

In truth, Marifa’s vestibular system had been disrupted by Seiten’s roar, which threw off her sense of balance. She had been using sheer willpower to avoid staggering.

(I wonder if the master is alright after taking that roar at such close range…)

Marifa recalled how, in the past, Yuu had been injured by the ultrasonic attack of a Cockatrice in the C-rank labyrinth Cage of the Demon Birds. She only learned about this injury later on.

(I was far away, and yet I was affected to this extent…)

Alongside her concern for Yuu’s physical state, Marifa also had another doubt weighing on her mind.

(There was something off about the master during that moment…)

A normal person wouldn’t have noticed. In fact, most wouldn’t even think to question it. The oddness was so subtle. Only Marifa, whose faith in Yuu was as deep as that of the greatest religious leaders, could detect it.

(It seemed like it was Nina’s voice that caused it.)

There was nothing suspicious about Nina. Marifa had seen it herself—Nina hadn’t activated any skills, nor had she even emitted any magic power. Still, something inside Marifa warned her: Do not trust this woman.

(Am I just overthinking it?)

Nina continued to laugh and chat with Tin and the others, seemingly carefree. Now that her balance had stabilized, Marifa decided to join Yuu.

“Master, who do you think will win? The monkey or the hero?” Tin asked while licking her ice cream. Vanamo, noting Tin's poor manners, tried to correct her, but Tin was too absorbed to care.

“It’ll be the stronger one, obviously.”

“Eh? That’s not fair! You can’t just say something so vague!”

“Even though he’s a death knight, fighting against a hero will make it difficult to win,” Graphyra added, joining the conversation for once. Her wolfish blood seemed to stir at the mention of battle.

“…If it were me, I’d win,” Lena said confidently.

“Ehh, do you really think you could beat that monkey? He looked super strong! And he was kinda cool, too,” Yuu teased.

“…I’m cooler than him,” Lena said, feeling competitive, especially in front of Namari, though she was unable to strike a pose while eating her ice cream.

“I think the monkey will win! When it comes to pure combat, beastmen are stronger than humans,” Melanie declared.

“It’s not a monkey, it’s a koujin. And if it’s a hero, the stronger one will win,” Yuu replied calmly.

Namari and the others looked confused, but Vanamo immediately understood what Yuu meant.

“Master, are you saying that koujin is a hero?”

“That’s right. He’s a hero.”

Tin and the others gasped in shock. “A death knight is a hero!?” “I didn’t know there were beastmen heroes!” “Did the hero join the Immortality Cult?” “Maybe he was recruited,” they speculated, their reactions varied.

(If things go as expected, Seiten will win. But if they both take each other out, that would save me the trouble.)

Ignoring the uproar from Tin and the others, Yuu contemplated why he hadn’t sent a familiar to track Seiten. If he had, Yuu could have finished off whoever survived the fight. This oversight was now frustrating him.

※

“Ugh… cough…”

In the center of a giant crater, a man stood up, brushing off the dirt that had piled on him. His holy armor, Majesty, a powerful suit of armor crafted from orichalcum and holy silver to provide both physical and magical protection, had been completely shattered, leaving Izhidoro’s upper body exposed. Even the sacred cloak of light had burned away, leaving no trace.

“Ohoh! To think you survived my Kagutsuchi, God of Fire! You’re tougher than I thought.”

The voice came from above. Looking up, Izhidoro saw Seiten crouched, seemingly sitting in midair, looking down on him.

“Ha… ha… Sh-shut up! A hero… never loses…” Izhidoro spat, struggling to speak through his injuries.

“I told you already, I’m a hero too,” Seiten reminded him.

“There’s no way a hero could be born from a heretic cult!”

“Ugh, you’re impossible. Look, I’m from the Great Forest of Filthy, alright? The Immortality Cult didn’t create a hero. I was a hero before I joined them.”

While glaring at Seiten above him, Izhidoro focused on healing his wounds.

(Keep talking. The longer you talk, the more time I have to heal.)

Heroic Body—a unique skill that enhances a hero’s physical strength, magical power, and recovery speed. Even without using healing magic, the more Izhidoro prolonged the conversation, the more his body could heal.

“Alright, now that I’m mostly healed, let’s continue,” Seiten said with a confident grin as he descended to the ground.

Izhidoro felt a twinge of fear as he realized that Seiten had seen through his plan.

(I hate to admit it, but I can’t win in close combat.)

Izhidoro analyzed the situation calmly. Even at full strength, this enemy might have been too much. But now, with his armor and cloak destroyed, Izhidoro knew his only chance was to engage in long-range combat.

“You don’t want to fight me up close, huh?”

Once again, Seiten seemed to read his mind, causing Izhidoro’s face to harden further. But even if his intentions were exposed, there was no other choice.

“For a beast, you sure are clever.”

“Oh, so you’re underestimating beastmen now, huh—tch!”

Izhidoro made the first move, casting Spirit Magic, Rank 6, Tempest. A massive storm several times stronger than usual kicked up, obscuring Seiten’s vision as dirt and debris filled the air.

(That’s it. Now I’ve created enough distance. I’ll end this in one hit!)

Izhidoro began channeling a spell that drained a huge amount of his magical power.

“Kiki, a hero resorting to cheap tricks like this? C’mon, you can do better,” Seiten called out, sticking his Ruyi Jingu Bang into the ground and bracing himself against the storm, though he couldn’t see through the swirling debris. A sudden upward draft pulled him into the air—or perhaps it felt like the world had flipped upside down. He couldn’t even tell whether he was being lifted or falling.

Izhidoro had cast Spirit Magic, Rank 9, Supercell. Unlike Tempest, this spell brought a ferocious storm accompanied by thunderclouds. Seiten was being torn by the wind and struck by lightning. It was a tactic Izhidoro had used in wars, decimating armies of thousands or even tens of thousands, but now, he was using it against Seiten alone.

“A true hero will never lose to a heretic hero!” Izhidoro declared, though he was barely holding on, overwhelmed by fatigue and the damage he had sustained. Despite his exhaustion, he used his skills Unyielding, Calm Waters, and Fearless Psycho to strengthen his body and clear his mind, focusing on his next move. These techniques enhanced his resolve, eliminated his fear, and sharpened his concentration. After all, Izhidoro feared Seiten more than anything else—a being he had to face as a hero.

“Grr, it’s strong, no doubt about that, but if you think this will kill me—”

“Die!!”

It was a surprise attack—up close. Seiten, who had expected Izhidoro to stick to long-range tactics, was caught off guard. Izhidoro had pretended to favor long-range magic to avoid close combat, only to engage in melee with his ultimate move, Absolute Air Assault, by moving far above Seiten and using freefall to deliver a charged attack.

“From below, huh!?”

Seiten, having lost his sense of up and down, must have thought Izhidoro’s attack was coming from below.

The clash lasted only an instant. Izhidoro’s Absolute Air Assault cleaved through Seiten, from his abdomen to the top of his head, without giving him any time to defend. The blow not only struck Seiten but left a massive gash in the earth.

“Huff… huff…”

Exhausted, Izhidoro couldn’t even maintain his posture, collapsing to his knees.

“I… I won…”

Staggering, Izhidoro stood up and raised his sacred sword, Wind Wheel, proclaiming his victory.

“Kikiki. Well, good for you,” Seiten’s voice responded.

In disbelief, Izhidoro turned to see Seiten standing there, casually resting his Ruyi Jingu Bang on his shoulder.

“Huh? You look surprised to see me alive. Well, since I’m feeling generous, I’ll explain. See this?”

Seiten plucked a hair from his head, blew on it, and instantly, dozens of Seiten clones appeared.

“It’s a trick called Clones. I figured you were up to something, so I used it just in case,” Seiten said.

The outcome was clear. One side was in perfect condition, while the other was completely exhausted, both mentally and physically.

But even so, Izhidoro, clutching his chipped sacred sword, Wind Wheel, charged at Seiten again.

“Kaah!!”

“I thought you were just a pretty face, but you’ve got guts, don’t you?!”

“I… can’t… lose!! I must not lose!!”

“Kikiki. Well, I can’t afford to lose either!”

By now, Izhidoro’s technique was no longer sharp. His final move, the Wind Wheel Mist Slash, was a powerful strike that should have been deadly in a split second. But now, it was so slow and weak that Seiten yawned as he effortlessly dodged it.

“It’s time to end this,” Seiten said, his playful tone gone, replaced by seriousness as he readied his Ruyi Jingu Bang. The skill he used was Spiral Staff, a level 3 technique.

It was the staff version of the spear technique Spiral, a fluid movement without any waste. Izhidoro found himself mesmerized by its beauty, as if time had stopped.

(Beautiful…)

Without missing a beat, the spiraling staff pierced straight into Izhidoro’s solar plexus.

“Do you know why two heroes can be so different?”

Looking down at Izhidoro, who was now lying on his back, Seiten asked him this question.

“Maybe it’s because you’re recovering from an illness? That’s possible. Is it because of your potential as a hero? Sure, that plays a part. The difference in weapons? Naturally, that’s a factor too. But the biggest difference is in how a hero acts.”

“I… I am… stronger… than… you… gah…” Izhidoro tried to speak but coughed up blood. Yet his eyes, no longer dull from defeat, burned with renewed fury.

“A hero’s strength comes from being selfless, from fighting for others, especially the weak. That’s when a hero is at their strongest.”

“I… fought… for… myself? For… selfish… reasons…? Take… back… your insult…”

“Then why were you hunting down the cult’s followers?” Seiten asked, raising an eyebrow.

Izhidoro’s eyes flashed with uncertainty.

“Isn’t your real enemy Merito? He hasn’t been hiding. He’s out there, right in the open. So why didn’t you go after him directly? Why waste your time on the cult followers? It doesn’t make sense.”

Izhidoro opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t find the words, remaining silent.

“That’s the reason your power as a hero couldn’t fully manifest. I fight for others, and you let personal grudges cloud your judgment. The outcome was decided before we even started fighting. Come on, you can come out now.”

At Seiten’s call, a rat beastman emerged from the shadows, holding a dagger.

“Wh-what are… you… planning…? If you’re going… to finish me… then do it yourself…”

“I would if I could, but I made a promise. Someone else has the right to end this,” Seiten said.

“Y-you’re kidding! I won’t… let… some lowly… grunt…” Izhidoro tried to resist, gripping the wrist of the rat beastman as he attempted to plunge the dagger into his chest.

“To you, he might just be a nameless grunt, but he’s a beastman with a name, just like anyone else.”

“Die, die! DIE!! You’re the one who killed my wife… my son!!”

The rat beastman’s eyes blazed with rage as he struggled to drive the dagger into Izhidoro. Despite being on the brink of death, Izhidoro’s resistance was still strong.

(Is this how my life ends? The life of the Tempest Hero of Kanumnet? It can’t end like this, in such a pathetic way! I need the strength of a hero, NOW!)

In moments of desperation, a hero’s strength is said to shine brightest.

Power surged through Izhidoro’s body in response to his desperate plea. But—

“You’ve probably figured it out by now, but it was you who killed his wife and son,” Seiten said.

“I… killed… heretics… they deserved…”

“No, you didn’t. He only joined the Immortality Cult after you killed his family. You killed innocent people without even listening to their side just because they were beastmen.”

The power that had been welling up inside Izhidoro rapidly drained away. Slowly, the rat beastman’s dagger sank deeper into his chest.

“W-wait… l-let me… explain…”

“Explain!? After you killed my wife and son!? If you had listened to her, even for a moment! Give them back! Give me back my wife and son!!”

Tears streamed from the rat beastman’s eyes, splashing onto Izhidoro’s face. By this point, Izhidoro’s resistance was meaningless as the dagger plunged deep into his chest. Over and over again, the rat beastman stabbed Izhidoro, even after his body had already turned into a lifeless corpse.

A few days later, the Kingdom of Kanumnet was shaken to its core. In one of the cities of the Kingdom of Udon, the severed head of Izhidoro Larira Costantini, the Tempest Hero, was displayed.

“This man was a fraud who falsely claimed the title of hero.”

A sign placed next to the pedestal holding his head detailed the atrocities Izhidoro had committed. It ended with the declaration that the Immortality Cult had executed justice in the name of the heavens.

As this news reached Kanumnet, the nobility, bureaucrats, and knights were thrown into a panic.

The location of the incident only made matters worse. Had it happened within their own borders, they might have been able to impose a gag order, but since it occurred in another country, they couldn’t control the flow of information. Worse still, the Kingdom of Udon had only contacted them after a practitioner of the Appraisal skill confirmed in front of a large crowd of commoners that the head was indeed Izhidoro’s.

The incident quickly spread across the entire Rehm Continent, shaking human nations to their core, while anti-human organizations among other races gained momentum.