Chapter 51 - Chapter 48 - The Hero's Name

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"Don't be an idiot!"

Shizuku's furious shout struck Kouki's back.

"Even with all of us, we couldn't beat it!? How can you possibly manage it alone!?"

"You, Kouki!! Are you telling me to abandon my friends and run!?"

"No way!? If Kouki-kun disappears too...!"

Ryutaro and Kaori followed, their voices rising. Although she didn't voice it, Suzu's face was also etched with fear. They had just lost a friend. They couldn't possibly not understand the meaning of staying behind alone in such a situation. Kouki intended to die to let them escape.

"I'm the strongest one here. It's not strange for me to stay and act as the rearguard, is it?"

Kouki told them calmly, without turning around. It was unusual for Kouki, who always looked people in the face when he spoke, and there was even a hint of coldness in his tone.

"You won't be acknowledged like that, will you!? If Kouki stays, I'll—"

"Just run, damn it!!"

"!!!"

Kouki's roar made Shizuku and the others flinch. Hearing such a rough tone from Kouki, who was usually so gentle, they forgot their anger and stared blankly at his back. Kouki slowly turned towards them. Seeing his expression, Shizuku and the others were once again speechless.

—------------

Kouki was crying.

—------------

Tears streamed down his cheeks, falling to the ground without him wiping them away. They had been together since they were children. He had seen him in many different ways, but he had never seen him cry. Even when his classmates insulted him, even when they managed to reconcile, Kouki, who had never shown a weak side as if he didn't even deserve to cry, was now openly shedding tears.

"I... couldn't save her. Again, I made a mistake. I made a mistake. In the end, nothing had changed. I was still just a child...!"

He was undoubtedly talking about Eri. No. It wasn't Kouki's fault. It was all of their responsibility. It wasn't something Kouki had to bear alone. She wanted to retort, but for some reason, the words caught in her throat, and only dry breaths escaped.

"I don't want to lose anyone else!! I don't want to see anyone die! It doesn't matter if I'm the Hero or what my position is! I! I want to do this!! So! Please...!"

While the four stared blankly at Kouki's words, Kouki's gaze shifted to Meld.

"—!!"

After a moment of hesitation, Meld sheathed his sword, tucked Shizuku under his arm, and began to run.

"All units!! Retreat from the front lines with Kouki as the rearguard!!"

"Meld-san!? Let go of me!?"

"Kyaa!? W-wait!"

At Meld's command, the knights lifted Kaori, Suzu, and Eri and followed Meld, running. They too screamed desperately for them to stop, but the knights, though grimacing, did not loosen their grip.

"Kouki...!?"

However, Ryutaro, whom the knights couldn't carry, desperately resisted as he was pulled by a knight. Cattleya placed a hand on Ryutaro's shoulder.

"Are you going to waste a man's resolve?"

"Ngh!?"

As Ryutaro's resistance weakened, his body was pulled away. Ryutaro, who had been staring at Kouki's retreating back, suddenly met Kouki's gaze as he turned around.

(Take care of everyone, my best friend.)

They were already out of earshot. Yet, Ryutaro clearly understood Kouki's words.

"Uuuaaaah!? Damn ittttt!!"

Ryutaro's cry thundered, but it gradually faded from Kouki's ears.

"Did they go...? Sorry to keep you waiting."

Kouki spoke to the knight automaton, which for some reason hadn't attacked but had been observing him. At his words, the automaton readied its flamberge and charged. Kouki met its attack with his Holy Sword enveloped in light. He parried the deadly blow with a slash that deflected it obliquely.

"Guhhh!"

He wouldn't take it head-on. Doing so would only result in being utterly crushed, shield and all. However, the knight automaton wasn't so incompetent that the same tactic would work repeatedly. A sequence attack, spinning its body to prevent the force of its missed strike from being wasted, lunged at Kouki's torso, aiming to bisect him. He dodged the sweeping attack by lowering his body close to the ground. Using the momentum of rising, he swung his Holy Sword upwards.

"Heavenly Ascent Flash - Eight Wings!"

A strike swung in an arc approached the knight automaton, but it was easily blocked by its round shield. Feeling a murderous intent at that moment, Kouki held his Holy Sword like a shield. A moment later, the round shield sent Kouki flying.

"Hah, hah, hah..."

A mere ten-second exchange. That was all it was, yet Kouki's forehead was already covered in sweat, and his body trembled with fear. Still, he forcibly suppressed that fear and shouted.

"Limit Break - Crushing Blow!!"

A tremendous light overflowed from Kouki's body, manifesting as a tornado that seemed to reach the heavens. As the torrent of light converged into Kouki's body, he stepped forward towards the knight automaton.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"

He was already in a state of "Limit Break" with Hajime's artifact. Even without immediate side effects, it was still a double-edged sword that pushed his body beyond its limits. Kouki's body, exceeding its limits even further, screamed in agony, and intense pain assailed him, but Kouki did not stop.

"Aaaaaaaaah!!!"

Already, there was no trace of Yaegashi-style techniques like sword forms or patterns within Kouki. He was a sword demon, fighting instinctively, his reason gone.

—A horizontal slash from right to left.

—Switching to his left hand, a counter-slash downwards and to the right.

—Twisting his body, an upward slash to the left.

—An overhead strike to cleave the helmet.

Any of these would normally be a fatal blow, but the knight automaton casually parried them. In its core, there was only disappointment for the boy before it. A sword skill without will was nothing to fear. The difference between humans and beasts was the presence or absence of reason. The boy before it was just a beast who had abandoned its reason. There was no longer any value in watching it.

The moment the knight automaton, having made that judgment, gripped the flamberge in its left hand to end the test, it happened.

A blow struck its armor, letting out a high-pitched clang, and carving a single scratch into the armor.

The knight automaton's eyes widened slightly at that fact. It had a good grasp of this boy's ability. There should have been no power in his sword to wound itself. While wondering, it focused on Kouki, who was still launching a fierce assault, and immediately realized the cause.

Power was flowing from the Holy Sword into Kouki. It wasn't Kouki drawing out the Holy Sword's power. It was as if the Holy Sword was lending its power to Kouki...

At the same time, Kouki was bewildered by a strange sense of omnipotence.

(What is this? Power is flowing from the Holy Sword?)

Kouki, who had activated the final derivative skill of "Limit Break," [+Crushing Blow], was in a semi-berserk state, just trying to eliminate the threat before him. But with the power flowing from the Holy Sword, he regained his senses, and moreover, he felt an even greater power surging within him.

(Are you lending me your power?)

As if to affirm Kouki's question, the blade glowed brightly.

"Thank you... but this isn't enough."

This isn't good enough. This much is still not enough. More, more. Give me more power. Give me the power to protect everyone...!

Contrary to Kouki's wish, the Holy Sword trembled as if to refuse. Just that alone made Kouki realize. This Holy Sword had a will of its own. Its refusal to lend power was probably because it knew Kouki's body wouldn't hold up if more power was poured into it. But what did that matter? He had lost Eri. Not only that, but now Kaori, Shizuku, Suzu, and Ryutaro were also in danger. He couldn't accept that.

(I don't care if I die here!! But... only everyone else... I can't lose any more comrades...!!)

"I'll give you everything I have!! So, lend me all of your power!!"

As Kouki raised his Holy Sword, an even greater torrent of light converged upon it. He leaped to evade the knight automaton's sweep, and with the momentum of his fall, he poured all his strength into swinging the light sword, which had become a colossal blade, downwards.

In Kouki's life, it was undoubtedly his strongest, greatest attack. With the power transferred from the Holy Sword, Kouki, who had temporarily surpassed even Hajime, unleashed his full-power strike onto the knight automaton's head—

".........Eh?"

Before he knew it, Kouki was sprawled on the floor.

"...Guh!!"

As he stared blankly, bewildered, a sharp pain shot through his chest. From Kouki's right shoulder to his left hip, he had been deeply slashed, and blood gushed from the gaps in his armor. Grimacing in pain, he lifted his face and saw the knight automaton, its fingers pinching the tip of his Holy Sword.

What had happened to Kouki was simple. His descending Holy Sword was caught between its fingers, and he was hit with a counter. That was all. Indeed, Kouki had surpassed his limits, and for a moment, he had gained power that surpassed even Hajime.

However, the knight automaton accurately understood the cost of Kouki's change. Kouki had indeed literally surpassed his limits. But it was a momentary flash. A sublimation of a few seconds, sacrificing the future. If he had continued to fight, this boy would have died on his own. That was not the evolution Spasssought. Evolution was meant to lead to the future of humanity; evolution that closed off the future was unacceptable. It was a phenomenon to be eliminated.

The knight automaton raised its flamberge. Kouki, having exhausted his power, no longer had the strength to parry the blade.

"Ah."

He was dead. The moment he thought that, as if it were someone else's problem, his past memories began to flash through Kouki's mind.

"Flashback"—According to one theory, it is a phenomenon where memories suddenly resurface in an emergency situation close to death, as one searches for a way to survive.

Among them, the memory that most strongly emerged in Kouki's mind was not of his childhood friends, nor of his grandfather or family.

It was the memory of a conversation with a certain "King."

—------------

"...So? What do you want with me, brat?"

"M-my name is Amanogawa Kouki."

"Hmph, a good-for-nothing who can't even take responsibility for himself and stays cooped up, 'brat' is enough."

"—!!"

Kouki could only hang his head and couldn't retort to Aldia's harsh words. That was true. He had foolishly joined the war, but he hadn't been useful to anyone, and instead, he had put everyone in danger. There was no room for excuse.

Aldias stared at Kouki, who had fallen silent with his head bowed, but thinking it was getting nowhere, she turned her back and started walking.

"Ah! Um!?"

"Just shut up and follow me."

Kouki, who had been staring blankly at Aldias as she walked away, hurriedly began to chase after her.

—------------

In the continuing silence, Aldias and the others arrived at a high hill overlooking the royal capital. From here, they could clearly see the citizens of the royal capital bustling about in preparation for the decisive battle.

"There are still many humans who don't have good feelings towards me. Rarely anyone comes here at this time."

"..."

He had thought he was being a nuisance, but he was surprised, his eyes wide, to see her deliberately change locations to listen to him.

"What's with that look? You came to me, didn't you? Hurry up and state your business."

"Eh? Ah, u-um..."

At Aldias's urging, Kouki lowered his gaze and slowly spoke, stammering.

"What... should I do?"

"Huh?"

Aldias tilted her head at the incomprehensible question.

"I've always tried to be righteous. To help the weak and crush the strong. I thought it was natural for someone who possessed power."

It was no longer a consultation, but a monologue. He wanted to help his classmates. He wanted to help the people of the kingdom. He wanted to make everyone smile. That was Kouki's only wish. But contrary to his feelings, Kouki had caused many people's smiles to fade. He had put his classmates in mortal danger. In that case, should he have never said he would participate in the war in the first place? But that would mean abandoning the people of this world...

"What... should I have done...?"

After speaking his mind, Kouki, still looking down, stole a glance at Aldias . He nervously wondered if she was annoyed by such a sudden personal consultation, especially from someone who had been an enemy. But Aldias , the person in question, sent Kouki a glare, as if she were truly exasperated.

"..."

"Uh, um..."

As Kouki looked confused by her unexpected reaction, Aldias let out a big sigh.

"I thought you were going to say something, but it's just that kind of talk."

"That kind of talk... I'm serious about my worries..."

Kouki was irritated at having his worries dismissed so easily, but his voice dwindled under Aldias's sharp gaze.

"Two days ago, Spassappeared before me and said, 'Wanting to protect the people. Wanting to save your comrades. These are born from the shadowy karma of human desires.'"

"Ngh!? That's not true!?"

Kouki had not met Spassdirectly. He had no way of knowing what the god's intentions were. But those words were utterly unacceptable.

As the day of the decisive battle approached, more demonkin were seen in the kingdom. He was reminded that they were not merely higher-ranking monsters, as the Orthodox Church had claimed, but living beings with hearts, just like humans. Amidst this, it was not uncommon for the demonkin to mention Aldias's name, even without direct interaction. From Kouki's perspective, it was clear that they genuinely adored Aldias from the bottom of their hearts.

"No matter what kind of existence they are, as long as Lord Aldias is there, everything will be alright."

"We will simply do what we must to alleviate even a little of that person's burden."

They believed in Aldias as their king from the bottom of their hearts. This was truly the embodiment of the strong person Kouki idealized. There was no way such a thing could have been born from desire.

"What are you angry about? His words are not wrong. My past actions have only been to fulfill my own personal desires."

"What!?"

But to hear Aldias herself admit it, Kouki's eyes widened.

"W-why!? Thanks to you, the demonkin people...!"

Anyone facing the world's god as an opponent would surely darken their expression in despair. But not a single demonkin person had such an expression. It must be thanks to you that they can look that way. It should be something to be proud of. If that's wrong, then what in the world is right...? As Kouki struggled with this conflict, Aldias said nonchalantly.

"But what's wrong with that?"

"...Eh?"

"Even if what I've done came from shadowy karma, what's wrong with it?"

If it ultimately saves many, then it's the same thing, isn't it?

Kouki froze, dumbfounded by Aldias's thought. For Kouki, the means were more important than anything. Whatever the reason, using cowardly methods was evil. That's what he believed. But Aldias didn't care about such things.

"My goal is the prosperity of the demon kingdom. A peaceful world where there's no threat to life. If it takes being called a devil to achieve that, I don't care. In the first place, don't be swayed by others' evaluations. What's important isn't what's right. It's what you want to do."

"What I want to do...?"

"After all, what a single person can do is limited. Humans are weak and fragile beings. That's why we combine our strengths. I have family and comrades who support me. What about you?"

"I..."

What came to mind were the faces of his childhood friends and best friends, who were still talking to him even now, in this state. If he were to run away from this reality, what would they do? Would they get angry, or cry? No, even before that, they would surely continue to fight even without him. Unlike him, everyone else was strong.

But what if someone died in that battle? What if he learned of it from a distant place? No. He couldn't bear that. The death of his friends must not happen.

"Whether that was right or not is merely the viewpoint of the observer. I, too, did not do it because someone wished it. It was something I decided for myself, by myself. The answer you seek, only you can reach."

"Only I can reach...?"

"If the answer you reach is a foolish one, I'll break it from its very foundation."

—So, when that time comes, let me hear your answer.

—------------

"I don't knowwww!!"

"Ngh!?"

Throwing his aching body forward, Kouki tackled the knight automaton. The attack that was meant to take Kouki's life, paused by his sudden action, merely grazed his hair. He grappled with the knight automaton, desperately trying to push it back. There was no scheme behind it. Just a reckless charge. A desperate blow. No damage whatsoever. Yet, Kouki instinctively took a step forward.

"How am I supposed to know the answer!? I was just a normal student until recently!!"

He had lived in a world completely unrelated to one on the brink of death. He wasn't a great king like him, and his strength and resolve weren't even comparable. He had no confidence he could give him an answer that would satisfy him. Still... still...

"I admired you! Your way of life! Your back!!"

The sight of him striking down all of Spaß's attacks at the start of the war. That back overlapped with his grandfather's, who had been the catalyst for shaping Kouki into who he was. He genuinely wanted to be like that.

"But in the end, I can't even save one girl!! I'm just a small, insignificant existence!!"

Still... still... Kaori, Shizuku, Suzu, Ryutaro. And the faces of his classmates, who were still fighting, flashed through Kouki's mind.

"I can't save the world! I can't save Eri! Still, I'll save everyone else! I'll save my friends! This time! Absolutely!! I... Amanogawa Kouki, I'll stake my entire life on this!!"

This is the one thing he won't give up! He absolutely won't give up!

"Absolutely!! I'll protect themmmmm!!"

Kouki just shouted, displaying his resolve. He knew it was futile, but he wouldn't stop. He would stop this thing here for even one second. He would risk his life for just that.

Normally, such an action would be no obstacle. To the knight automaton, it was merely the equivalent of an injured child clinging to it. But the knight automaton... the being that had calmly parried every attack, stopped. It stared blankly at the small being clinging to it.

What is this? Why doesn't it give up? It's not uncommon for power to be exerted beyond one's limits at the brink of death. We, too, wished for that. But this is fundamentally different. Its power is already lost, it's severely wounded. Human actions after their limits have been easily crushed are either resignation or escape. That's natural. They've already surpassed their limits. To deal with an opponent that doesn't yield, they need to surpass their limits even further. Because they can't do that, people give up. They pray to God. Yet... why is this...?

A human existence not present even in Spaß's memories, who had lived for a long time. Thus, it was confused. The knight automaton, a copy of Spaß, could not deal with situations unknown to Spaß. And Spassand the knight automatons were constantly connected by magic. They could simultaneously experience what each saw and heard. The sight witnessed by the knight automaton was transmitted through Spassto all the knight automatons wreaking havoc across the various locations. Recognizing the incomprehensible sight, their bodies froze in bewilderment.

—The Holy Sword brought down on the command center...

—The blood-stained sword approaching Gahard...

—The blade that was supposed to pierce adul's skull...

—The flash that was supposed to obliterate Hajime and Shea...

—The swarm of dragons that rained down on Aletia and Miledi...

They all halted abruptly.

This was no exception for Spaß, the original. Its consciousness was slightly diverted by the sight seen by its copies.

—------------

But that was all. Spassand the others paused for only a blink of an eye. A mere fraction of a second, less than 0.1 seconds. Kouki's actions certainly stopped the knight automatons' movements for a moment. However, in the end, his achievement merely extended humanity's lifespan by 0.1 seconds. It was a minuscule achievement for a life sacrificed. In the next moment, many, including him, would surely die.

—------------

—Yes... that was all it took.

"Kuhaha."

Aldias ... laughed, ferociously, cunningly, wickedly...

"Ngh!?"

A shiver ran down Spaß's spine. By then, Aldias had already begun to act.

Shadow Star

The moment the spell was chanted, black magic rings formed around the necks of all seventeen knight automatons on the ground.

"Damn—"

Spassfinally realized her mistake, but it was already too late...

—------------

"—Sever—"

—------------

At that moment, the opened gate closed, and the heads of the seventeen knight automatons were blown away.

"..." "Huh?" "..."

As the knight automatons crumbled like puppets with severed strings, many stared blankly, while some realized the entity that had caused the phenomenon before their eyes. Only one being in this world could do such a thing.

"I believed in you!!"

"You're late!!"

"Splendid."

"Seriously...!"

"As expected, Aldias is so cool...!"

Altina... Gahard... Freed... Hajime... Aletia... The powerhouses fighting on the battlefield all looked up at the sky simultaneously.

—------------

"I have indeed heard you, Amanogawa Kouki."

Aldias , who had never called Kouki by his name, now called him by it.

"Your terribly unsightly, miserable, pathetic... and brave step has now truly become the decisive move that saved humanity in this world."

No one else present, aside from Aldias and Spaß, had noticed Kouki's actions. That's why he had to convey it himself. The achievement of the man who saved the world. The name of the Hero who maintained the will of the weak and even caused a "miracle."

"No further questions are necessary... I acknowledge it, Amanogawa Kouki. You are truly worthy of being this generation's 'Hero'!!"

The value of a Hero that he had slammed into Kouki in the Orcus Great Labyrinth. In the end, that was merely a value system within this world of Tortus. Kouki had now shown Aldias a form of a Hero that only Kouki could embody, right here and now.

"Ah..."

Aldias's declaration echoed loudly across the battlefield, clearly reaching Kouki. With those words alone, Kouki felt as if everything had been saved.

He was scared. It was painful. He wanted to run away. Yet, he wanted to protect them. He simply screamed that wish. He poured out the feelings hidden deep in his heart. And... someone had indeed seen it. Someone had acknowledged it.

The fundamental core of Kouki's being, the desire to protect someone. A precious memory that, from his childhood, through his grandfather's teachings, became the catalyst for shaping Kouki into who he was. That was never a useless thing.

—------------

"—Ngh"

Späß, who had been silently watching the scene, showedirritationonherface, glaring at Aldias .

"Your expression changed for the first time, didn't it?"

"Ngh!?... You."

In contrast to Spaß, whose face twisted in even more displeasure at Aldias's words, Aldias smiled, truly amused, and extended her arm towards Spaß.

"I think I might finally start to like you a little."

As Aldias snapped her fingers, seventeen black magic rings formed behind her, and the knight automatons' heads began to fall from them. The display, as if to show off to Spaß, implicitly told her, "You're next."

"Don't underestimate us humans, you mere god."

—------------

The battle between human and god, which would decide humanity's fate, finally entered its final phase.

============

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