When they reached the gate, two swordsmen stood waiting.
One was a giant—well over two meters tall.
The other was small, barely around 160 centimeters.
Both carried massive swords nearly as large as their own bodies.
Could anyone even swing something like that?
“Are you the ones in command?” the Demon King asked.
“That’s right!” one of them roared.
“We are servants of the Dragonkin—the Hayonei Brothers!
Was it you who interfered with our invasion?! You will pay for this!”
Their voices shook the air itself. Dust trembled at their feet.
But—
“Then hurry up and attack already. You’re wasting my time.”
The Demon King spoke with clear boredom.
That single line was enough.
“WASTING YOUR TIME?!”
The Hayonei Brothers—
vanished.
No—
they were simply too fast to follow.
The stone beneath their feet shattered from the force of their step, and the shockwave hit a moment later.
(They’re fast…!!)
Far beyond anything before.
Christopher realized it instantly—
And then—
CRACK!!
CLANG!!
Two impacts exploded almost at the same time.
One—
The Demon King.
She had caught the smaller brother’s massive blade—with one hand.
Steel clashed. Sparks flew.
But her arm didn’t move an inch.
The other—
Was Zeke’s kick.
“Ghah?!”
The giant’s massive body was launched into the air—
As if it weighed nothing.
It flew in a straight line and slammed into the ground.
BOOM!!
Dust erupted.
“Come on…”
Zeke walked slowly into the smoke.
“Even if she’s the Demon King, ganging up on a woman isn’t a good look, you know?”
His tone was light.
But there wasn’t a single opening in his stance.
“Though… even two-on-one wouldn’t be enough anyway.”
He smiled faintly.
“You’re fighting me.”
At those words, the giant’s face twisted.
“GRAAAAAH!!”
He charged, shattering the ground beneath him.
Fast. Heavy. Pure violence.
The air compressed into a shockwave.
(If that hits… it’s over!!)
And yet—
Thud.
A dull sound.
Zeke—
stopped the charge with one hand.
“…What?”
Christopher couldn’t help but whisper.
That speed. That mass.
And he just… stopped it?
“Hm… you’re not as strong as you look.”
With a light push—
the giant staggered.
His eyes widened.
“GRAAAAAH!!”
Enraged, he raised his massive sword.
That wasn’t a weapon anymore.
It was a falling disaster.
WHOOSH!!
The blade tore through the air.
BOOOOOOM!!
The ground exploded.
Stone shattered. The area collapsed into a crater.
The shockwave rippled outward.
(If that had hit… even a dragon wouldn’t survive…)
But—
Zeke was gone.
“W-Where did he go?!”
The giant looked around wildly.
Then—
A faint sound.
“Above?!”
He swung upward.
Nothing.
“Side?! Behind?!”
He lashed out again and again.
WHAM!!
WHOOM!!
CRASH!!
A storm of destruction.
Each strike tore up the earth.
Shockwaves distorted the air.
And yet—
Nothing hit.
Not even once.
(…They’re all missing?!)
No—
They were being dodged.
Perfectly.
Before each swing—
Zeke was already gone.
Before each strike—
he was somewhere else.
As if—
he could see the future.
“GRAAAAAH!!”
Frustration and rage exploded.
The attacks accelerated.
Now, even the blade itself couldn’t be seen—
Only destruction remained.
The ground shattered.
The air screamed.
The world shook.
And in the center—
A soft step.
A slight shift.
A quiet tap.
With the smallest movements imaginable—
Zeke avoided everything.
A hair’s breadth dodge.
A slight deflection.
A casual parry.
Like—
he was simply taking a walk through a storm.
(…He’s playing with him.)
A chill ran down Christopher’s spine.
That overwhelming assault—
meant nothing.
The giant’s power was real.
Fast. Heavy. Strong.
But beyond that—
Zeke was something else entirely.
“DAMN YOUUU!!”
A final, full-powered strike.
Everything poured into one blow.
It—
missed.
And then—
“Not good enough.”
A voice from behind.
The giant turned.
Zeke was already there.
As if he had always been.
“That’s a hammer. Not a sword.”
Zeke slowly placed his hand on his blade.
No wasted movement.
No hesitation.
“Let me show you real swordsmanship.”
He drew.
The air tightened.
“—If you can even see it.”
The next instant—
Zeke disappeared.
No—
He became unrecognizable.
A gust of wind followed.
And then—
It was over.
Lines appeared across the giant’s body.
One beat.
Two—
Then—
Blood erupted.
(What…?!)
How many strikes?
How many cuts?
Did he even swing?
Not a single motion—
was visible.
Only the result remained.
“…Ah…”
A broken voice.
The giant collapsed.
Silence.
“Guess I cut something boring again… just kidding.”
That out-of-place remark made it feel even less real.
(…What is this?)
Christopher couldn’t understand.
But one thing was certain—
Overwhelming.
Nothing else fit.
Too strong.
On another level entirely.
A shiver ran through his body.
It wasn’t just fear—
It was admiration.
This wasn’t a battle.
It was—
the difference in rank itself.
Meanwhile—
The smaller Hayonei, locked in a clash with the Demon King, froze upon seeing his brother fall.
“Brother… y-you bastards!!”
His body trembled with rage.
“Remember this!!”
He turned—and ran.
For a moment, both Zeke and the Demon King blinked in surprise.
Then—
her expression sharpened.
“You think you can escape from me?”
She raised both hands.
Dark energy gathered in her palms.
“Don’t you know? In games… you can’t run from the Demon King.”
A magic circle appeared.
A hexagram formed in the air.
“Pierce of Oblivion.”
A black beam shot forward—
Piercing straight through the fleeing man.
He fell instantly.
“Well… I suppose that settles my debt.”
The Demon King dusted her hands off casually.
“Let’s head back to the palace.”
Zeke turned and started walking.
What… are these two?
Christopher could only stare.
The two hundred enemies—
And even their commanders—
Had been powerful.
And yet…
These two had swept them aside like it was nothing.
Like warm-up exercises.
Stronger—
More beautiful—
Than any battle he had ever seen.
Their backs, as they walked away—
Seemed larger…
Brighter…
Than anyone he had ever known.
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