Derrick still couldn’t understand.

What had the knight seen to make him believe his words? And even if he did believe him, how could he fight with such unwavering determination?

‘It would have been easier to run away….’

If anyone found themselves in a situation like this, if they were facing a giant like that, their first reaction would be to flee in fear. That was only natural.

Yet here he was, not only refusing to give up but standing on the front line—the most dangerous position—and swinging his sword with all his might.

What in the world could drive him to such desperation…? What made him so courageous?

– Huh? You don’t know the simple answer to that? You’re not as clever as you think, are you?

The answer came from a girl with amethyst-colored eyes.

– He’s not fighting because he’s brave. When someone has something to protect, and they find themselves in a situation where they can’t run away, people react in one of two ways: they either give up and resign themselves to death, or they struggle with all their might. And I’d say the person you’re talking about is in the latter category. Except he’s not just struggling—he’s…

“…giving it his all to resist.”

Derrick reflected on the words of the wisest and most dependable girl he knew as he watched the battle between the human and the monster.

That fierce, desperate battle.

Watching this, he muttered to himself.

“Lady, it seems like I’m the only one struggling here. That man… he’s just…”

Courageous.

Murmuring softly, Derrick’s strength faded, and he collapsed, his eyes fixed wide open as he silently wished.

‘May this help, even a little.’

 

“…A status window?”

In an instant, Ihan sensed it.

The aura of countless petals raining down from the sky.

And he felt it once more—the determination of the gray-haired boy behind him, who had poured all his courage into this one act.

Feeling it clearly, he…

“HAAA!!!”

With a mighty roar, he swung his sword even more ferociously.

The Demon King, startled by Ihan’s intense roar and powerful blow, staggered back.

Ihan had forced this giant Demon King to retreat purely through sheer spirit in his strikes.

It was an achievement akin to an ant forcing a human back.

But he wasn’t forcing him back for the sake of achievement.

The coward who had finally mustered the courage to act deserved to see that courage rewarded.

And so—

Rumble!

Countless needles, resembling petals, poured down to the ground.

Pop! Pop!

The petal-shaped projectiles filled the air, bursting as they rained down like a shower of thick needles.

There were roughly ten thousand, maybe even more.

But the needles didn’t target humans. Even if they brushed against a person, they wouldn’t harm them. Instead, they were directed solely at the monsters with malevolent energy.

“Full Blossom of Rain…”

The secret technique of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Venomous and Hidden Arts Family, Sicheng Tang, came to mind in this magnificent display.

And indeed—

“Ugh… Ugh!!”

“Ga…?!”

“Aaaa…!”

The force was nothing short of a spectacle.

The needles, raining down like a storm, targeted only monsters, mercilessly killing them. They struck the gnolls fighting the cadets and pierced the Demon King’s skull, tore through his neck, slashed his heart and back.

It was like a massive airborne claymore.

But what made it even better than a claymore was—

“You were hiding an insane skill like this.”

Hum…

As Ihan was struck by the needles, he felt his body relax. His stamina and injuries seemed to recover a bit. It must have been a buff effect.

Death to enemies, a buff to allies.

Where could you find a better skill than this?

Of course—

‘It’s not without its drawbacks.’

He sensed the presence of the boy, who had collapsed after exhausting his strength to unleash Full Blossom of Rain.

A one-time skill with terrible efficiency.

But—

‘It’s enough.’

He had given them precious breathing space, a brief respite amidst the chaotic battle without a moment to breathe.

It was perfectly satisfactory.

What he appreciated even more, though, was—

“━━”

“Is it painful? Too bad, huh?”

“??”

“Seems like there’s one more hit left.”

Whoosh!

Just as Ihan finished speaking, the waters of the lake surged upwards.

The water shot up high, as if a dragon was about to ascend, and even the Demon King wouldn’t be able to withstand being swept away by it.

It was that powerful and overwhelming.

“Don’t mess with our instructor!”

Irene Windler.

The greatest prodigy of this generation, one whose worth exceeded even Loen’s.

The girl with the potential to become the world’s greatest mage unleashed her magic.

“[Waters, rage. Waters, swirl. Waters, pierce my enemies, become a spear, and pass judgment].”

The water magic, infused with immense magical energy, surrounded her. But the spirit of a girl who watched over Irene added to the power.

“Wind, blow. Unite with the waters, become a guillotine to pierce our enemies.”

Whirlwind!

A colossal wind magic combined with it.

Double chanting.

Not only did she control two elements, but thanks to the spirit watching over her, Irene could perform this miracle of using dual attributes simultaneously.

“That’s… impossible.”

Ordwal let out a scream, unable to comprehend Irene’s magic. To other mages, it was a miraculous talent beyond understanding.

And that cataclysmic magic—

“Go!”

—was aimed at the monster tormenting the one she cherished.

A small [waterspout] formed.

Though it was small, it was still a waterspout, and as it engulfed the Demon King—

Boom!

The Demon King fell silent.

 

“…Turns out the chick from next door wasn’t a chick at all but a phoenix in disguise.”

Ihan muttered in amazement.

He hadn’t expected to receive such a significant boost from a spellcaster.

Unintentionally voicing his usual disdain for spellcasters, Ihan was genuinely grateful this time.

Thanks to her efforts, he had a bit more time.

And with this precious time—

‘With everyone putting in their best, I can’t look bad.’

He decided to reveal his “trump card.”

 

The small waterspout engulfed the Demon King.

The immense mass and flow of compressed water magic were impossible for any creature to resist.

Indeed, the Demon King was trapped, unable to move, as if he were being tortured within the narrow confines of a watery prison.

[[-----.]]

The rotating water prison not only held the Demon King in place but cut into him with intense force, threatening to tear him apart.

A blender.

It was like a water-made blender.

Once trapped, there was no escape until he was shredded to pieces.

Death was the only exit from this overwhelmingly powerful force, inconceivable to be unleashed by a single person.

The only problem…

[Irene, hang in there a bit longer!]

“Ugh!”

Sustaining such powerful magic was incredibly difficult.

Irene’s entire body was trembling, and she was on the verge of collapse.

Had she not been forced into physical endurance training after meeting Ihan, she would have fainted on the spot.

[Stamina really is national power!]

‘Is this really the time to say that?’

Irene felt like she was going to lose her mind.

How on earth had the instructor been fighting this monster?

‘This is insane! It’s a real monster!’

Its resistance was beyond abnormal.

And not just its resistance; this monster—

Boom! Boom!

—was trying to break free of the waterspout.

It didn’t matter if its body was being torn apart.

It just kept regenerating, and if the water was heavy, it would just push through with sheer strength.

That monster…

It resolved most seemingly impossible issues not with its mind but with an overwhelmingly powerful body!

Step by step.

Like a scene from a horror movie, it began breaking free of the waterspout, closing in on her.

With an intent to return every blow it had suffered.

“I-I’m going to dieee!”

[Irene—?!]

Irene’s vision blurred as she reached her limit.

No longer able to…

Thud.

“You did well.”

“…Instructor?”

“Thank you. I’ll repay this debt later.”

“……”

Irene forgot her exhaustion and looked at him.

The relief in his eyes reassured her. She felt like she could pass out in peace now.

And so—

“You… you owe me an expensive meal….”

“Consider it a promise.”

“I-I’m going to order something really pricey….”

Hehe.

The girl let out a weak laugh before finally collapsing.

Her gaze fixed on his confident eyes.

Thud.

While not as light as a feather, she barely weighed anything in his arms as Ihan gently laid her down.

It was almost a gentlemanly gesture.

But his piercing gaze was still fixed on the Demon King.

Grind!

Through the diminishing waterspout, he saw it pushing through with a terrifying strength.

Now he understood why it was regarded as a living natural disaster.

“I acknowledge it. You’re strong.”

Ihan had prepared countless strategies leading up to this day.

A spear loaded with explosives.

A large harpoon.

Unexpected help from a hidden skill and a mage’s assistance.

…Even with all these measures, the Demon King still hadn’t died.

He acknowledged it.

This thing was strong—a creature he couldn’t defeat with his current abilities.

But—

“I will subdue you.”

It might sound like an absurd declaration, but he wasn’t one to make idle threats.

Tap, tap.

Ihan’s body slowly rotated.

A swaying posture.

His face and body appeared relaxed, entirely different from his previous aura.

‘Right now, this is all I need.’

But his eyes were sharper than ever, and his concentration was at its peak.

The lesson Ihan had learned from relentlessly swinging his pickaxe the previous day in the quarry was simple.

‘Strength’ wasn’t always about applying raw force.

It was a paradox, perhaps, a ridiculous notion.

But the strength he’d realized wasn’t just about physical power.

‘Strength is everywhere.’

There’s power in the rotating air currents, in the blowing wind, in the sound of songs and instruments.

Even in a pickaxe swing.

‘That swing,’ from that moment, was the weakest in his life.

But it had split the rock like a sharpened blade.

It hadn’t broken the rock; it had cleaved it.

A feat achieved by exhausting every bit of the iron’s potential in the pickaxe.

It wasn’t some grand sword technique like Shin-Geom Ilhab.

But he understood something.

That the weapon he held was sharper and more powerful than he had realized.

And that understanding—

Fwoosh!

—manifested as sword energy.

Sword energy.

A new frontier of the energy manipulation that Loen had shown him.

While Loen’s sword energy was forceful, combining various elements and innate talent, Ihan’s sword energy was different.

It merely unleashed the potential of the metal sword.

Though similar to Qi, Ihan’s deeper understanding of the sword allowed it to respond to his will, the sword energy shimmering as if alive.

And finally—

Blossom!

—a flower bloomed.

 

[[???]]

The Demon King, barely escaping the waterspout, experienced a strange visual illusion.

What was this?

[[…A flower?]]

Yes, it was a flower.

Not a needle-shaped petal, but a genuine flower.

However, it was not a flower fit to bloom in this season.

It resembled the delicate petals of a blossom that appeared in the height of spring.

…It was a moment of blooming that defied the seasons, as if a sorcerer had conjured it into existence.

And the blooming petals seemed like—

“-I couldn’t manage the Six Harmony Sword Technique, but I did manage to make a plum blossom bloom. Strange, isn’t it?”

Indeed.

The flower resembled a plum blossom in spring.

[[…….]]

The Demon King didn’t even think to avoid the sword energy shaped like a flower petal.

It was so beautifully bloomed that even the king of monsters was entranced by it.

Beautiful.

Though it was merely a flower of sword energy, everyone who witnessed it felt a sense of awe and wonder.

No one who had fought him a thousand years ago had shown him anything like this.

And so the Demon King, mesmerized by this out-of-season bloom, simply—

Stab.

[[?]]

—watched in a daze as the petal pierced his flesh and sank inside.

“It’s not weak, you know.”

With a weary face, Ihan murmured, as if he’d used up everything he had.

Crack…

The sword that had birthed the sword energy scattered to dust, having exhausted its life.

Everything had a price, and the sword had fulfilled its role for its master.

Likewise, the blossoming had left him without even the strength to move a finger.

Such was the nature of the technique.

But with a satisfied expression—

“It’s quite the masterpiece, isn’t it?”

Thunk!

The flower petals he had created burrowed into the Demon King’s body.

[[!!!!!]]

The Demon King’s body convulsed.

He rolled on the ground with a roar, unable to contain his agony.

No other attack had ever elicited such a dramatic reaction, but now there was no escaping it.

The flower petals of sword energy infiltrated his flesh, slicing through his organs, cutting, stabbing, and digging throughout his body.

For any living creature capable of feeling pain, this was hell.

He must have been seeing the very depths of the underworld by now.

“…I told you I’d subdue you.”

Killing him was impossible.

That regenerative power was beyond even the realm of miracles.

But the pain would be real.

Ihan had learned from a mage’s tortures in his youth what it felt like to endure the agony of blades constantly moving through one’s insides.

After this, his stamina would be too drained to even stand.

…Unfortunately.

[[You…you…sorcery…]]

Thud…!

Common sense didn’t seem to apply to him.

The Demon King began to rise, and Ihan gave a bitter smile.

So he really was an immortal, with even limitless stamina?

‘When I got hurt, I was exhausted. Damn monster….’

It was exhausting.

Relentless as a cockroach.

“…Fine, I concede, you bastard.”

Ihan acknowledged his defeat.

This creature was, after all, a being he couldn’t overcome in his current state.

An otherworldly life form, a monster.

A natural disaster, a Demon King.

It was only fitting that this creature had once destroyed an ancient kingdom.

Thud, thud!

[[I… will… kill you!!]]

The Demon King, driven by fierce emotion, charged at him, and Ihan, unable to move, leaned against a tree, watching him approach.

Thankfully, he hadn’t touched Irene, Derrick, or even the fish in the lake. He was solely focused on Ihan.

“…Do you really want to eat me that badly?”

[[Grrr!!!]]

His bloodshot eyes glistened with a murderous gleam, and Ihan smirked.

For whatever reason, strange beings seemed drawn to him.

He shrugged.

“Even if you ate me, you wouldn’t feel full, would you?”

[[K-kill…]]

“Judging by how often you say ‘kill,’ I’d bet you’ve heard it so much you’ve memorized it. What do you think, old man?”

[[……?]]

In that brief moment, a realization dawned.

Who was this creature talking to?

And as that question formed—

“You’ve created another bizarre technique. But it was rather impressive. If perfected, even I would find it difficult to handle. Haha.”

 

…When had he arrived?

“You’re a bit late, aren’t you?”

“Apologies, but I couldn’t leave the castle unguarded.”

“Great. I was on the verge of death, you know.”

“I had faith in you.”

“Damn! You sure talk well.”

“Haha! Even when I speak sincerely, you don’t believe me. How unfair.”

The two conversed casually, and the Demon King was suddenly forgotten.

[[GAA!!]]

The Demon King roared in anger.

Was he being ignored?

Yet, despite the Demon King’s fury—

“You’re quite dull, aren’t you? Still lingering even after death—so full of regrets.”

The Demon King tried to move forward but realized he had no legs.

Slice!

No, they’d been “cut off.”

Separated limbs.

But it wasn’t just his legs.

Slash! Slash!

[[G……r…!]]

Even his neck was falling.

The Demon King widened his eyes, still unable to grasp what had happened to him.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t close his eyes in regret; he simply hadn’t realized he’d been cut.

And the Demon King…

Without even time for a final scream, the life in his eyes faded.

To such a futile end…

“…Why does everyone call me a monster?”

This man before him was the real monster.

Ihan was astounded by his skill; he hadn’t even seen him swing his sword as the Demon King was cut to pieces.

Shaking his head, he knew he was still far from being able to defeat this man.

Baltar Grace.

The kingdom’s strongest knight and a superhuman.

The Demon King’s only miscalculation was appearing in an era with aura users, who hadn’t existed in the ancient kingdom.

It was an overwhelming yet strangely hollow end.

And so, the monster raid concluded.