Chapter 579: Her Thread

Richard tossed the ale bottle he held in his left hand into the air and smashed it with his black sword. Its contents and shards hitting the stone floor was the signal to start the fight between them.

The former hero’s black sword no longer possessed the thunderous brilliance it once had. It was proof that his prime was gone, and that he had lost his qualifications as a hero.

The hero who once slaughtered countless monsters, who pressed on despite losing his comrades, and who saved people, was gone. Only a commander, who had lost even an arm and reached old age, remained.

Facing him was Valerie, a female hero who seemed to be in her prime.

Her magical armor squirmed. With a single swing, it cut through air and sound, proving that despite being in armor, it possessed a sharpness no different from a blade.

The reckless girl who challenged the hero with a single longsword was gone.

Both moved.

The magical armor and the black sword joined together. A hard sound echoed, repeating several times.

Richard never met Valerie’s blows head-on. He twisted his wrist, deflecting the blade as it trailed across the armor.

Even a second, no, even a split second, or the slightest deviation would shatter both the black sword and Richard’s body. Valerie possessed that much power.

One, two, three. Five in one breath.

And yet, the black sword’s trajectory remained undisturbed. This had long since surpassed the realm of experience or mere intuition. Valerie narrowed her eyes, realizing this was his true talent.

What was the most abhorrent thing for a hero? It wasn’t defeat or retreat. It was death.

A hero, the hope of humanity, must not die. A hero had to live no matter what happened. A hero would surely achieve victory in the end if he or she continued to live. That was why a hero possessed not only the power to cut down enemies, but also numerous techniques for survival.

But conversely, that was all Richard had left now.

He would have parried Valerie’s attack if he were in his prime, taken a step forward immediately, and slashed her throat with blinding speed. But he didn’t show any trace of that power. Not anymore.

Valerie understood this fact better than anyone. That was why she was so sad, and her expression inside her armor was distorted.

That amazing strike, that unparalleled brilliance, that speed that ordinary people couldn’t match…all of it was gone from Richard.

All he could do now was barely manage to parry Valerie’s punches with all his might.

…And even that wouldn’t last long.

Amidst the countless sword clashes, the tip of the black sword was deflected for a moment by Valerie’s outstretched right hand. That split second was fatal in the space between these two masters.

Richard instinctively leaped half a step back. That was his limit at that moment.

In that instant, Valerie’s clenched fist sharply gouged through the air. Magical power surged forth.

Richard’s figure vanished. His body was slammed against the fortress wall with the force of a cannonball.

Richard’s cheeks distorted after hearing the sound of his bones writhing in agony. He realized he was no match for Valerie after those few exchanges, no matter how hard he tried.

Richard had used countless tactics and illusions in those few exchanges. From his gaze to his fingertips, to the placement of his feet, his techniques to deceive her were almost at the very core of skill.

But terrifyingly, Valerie shattered it all. It was as if to say that twists and turns and indirectness were meaningless in the face of a single, immense “power”.

A speed so fast it could be mistaken for a flash of light. A strength even more demonic. This was no longer human. It was a different creature, a hero.

「Agh, ah! 」

Richard, slammed against the wall, heard the sound of flames burning nearby and forcibly kicked off the wall to regain his balance.

The next moment, Valerie’s fist gouged out of the spot where Richard’s body had been.

「…!」

The black sword pierced the momentary opening exposed by the missed swing. But Valerie’s magical armor absorbed the host’s magic power, easily deflecting the blade.

「…Ha, aah! 」

Valerie instinctively drew a semicircle with one leg. It was just a test of distance, but even that would pierce through to the bone if it touched him.

The outcome was already in sight. The difference in their abilities was insurmountable. If time passed, Richard would undoubtedly be killed by Valerie.

Therefore, he had no choice but to resort to a plan. Richard held his black sword to the nearby flames. With just that, the sword burst into flames from the sparks.

「…Ale, no, burning water. It’s nothing but a futile struggle. 」

「A futile struggle, that’s fine. 」

Richard took a few steps and dropped the flames from his sword onto the ground. It was a predetermined spot.

In that instant, flames erupted within the fortress.

The burning water scattered on the floor guided by the flames, engulfing Valerie and Richard in an instant.

「I knew you’d come here. 」

Valerie would definitely kill him. That was Richard’s certainty. Not out of arrogance or presumptuousness…Richard was confident that he, not even her subordinate Dore, understood Valerie best.

And the same was true in reverse.

「…And I knew you would resort to a desperate plan. 」

Valerie leaped the moment the flames struck her vision. She jumped over the flames, with her magical armor shining with an astonishing brilliance as she clenched her fist. A fist meant to kill Richard.

「I thought so. 」

Facing her, Richard put all his strength into his left arm and stopped his legs. This was no longer a sword strike to evade or deflect. It was a strike to bring Valerie down.

… Richard decided that this was his only chance.

Against Valerie, who was fully prepared, he was no match for her in his current state. That was why he had to disrupt her stance, even if only for a moment.

Valerie, having leaped through the air, couldn’t change direction or deflect her punch. This was Richard’s only chance of winning.

For that instant, both of them stopped breathing. Even the world seemed certain that a decisive battle was about to take place.

…A fleeting clash and the battle would be over.

Richard exhaled and said the following words.

「…What kind of face is that, you stupid brat? 」

「…Shut up. 」

Reality was merciless. The greater power always prevailed when power clashed with power. Power crushed even schemes.

Richard’s black sword was deflected in front of Valerie, and her left arm pierced Richard’s body.

But contrary to this outcome, Richard’s expression was calm, while Valerie’s was filled with anguish.

「You wanted to be a special one, didn’t you? A hero…Listen, you’re already a hero everyone acknowledges. 」

「No, no…I’m not! 」

Holding Richard close, Valerie’s voice trembled like that of a child. It was a side of her she never showed, not even on the battlefield, or even in her private life.

She had achieved her goal. Yet, her voice was filled with madness.

「I didn’t want to be a hero…That was just a childhood fantasy. 」

She certainly dreamed of it as a child. A hero respected and applauded by all, who would cut down all evil.

She wanted to be like that, and she thought she could. In a way, for young Valerie, the symbol of that was the hero.

But it was different now. What she truly desired was something else. She only realized it after she could no longer stop. Humans were creatures who didn’t even recognize their own mistakes.

「I…I’m not like that. I’m not that kind of person. 」

「Then…what did you want to become…? 」

Like a dam breaking, Valerie spoke as if nothing could hold her back anymore.

「…I wanted to save the warriors of Suzif Fortress! I wanted to help the people who were terrified of Zebrililith! I wanted to fulfill the promise I made with you…! 」

But she couldn’t do any of it.

Valerie sobbed. It was as if her heart had broken in front of the only person she trusted. Holding Richard close in her arms…she questioned how things had come to this.

She hadn’t made it in time for the fall of Suzif Fortress, and she lacked the power to kill Zebrililith. That was why she had walked the path with the Great Holy Church, and thus, had come into conflict with Richard. But of all things, Richard had been implanted with the seed of immortality by the Great Holy Church.

Valerie no longer understood anything. The path she chose should have been the right one, yet it was drifting further and further away from her own desires. Her legs were caught in thorns. She suffered, struggled, and was wounded with every step. But she had absolutely no idea which way was the right one.

Even so, she continued to move her limbs, guided by a thread that held her in check. She acted as a puppet, fulfilling her role.

…But somehow, that thread snapped before her final confrontation with Richard.

No, that wasn’t it. Richard was the only thread that held Valerie back whether he was an ally or an enemy.

「…That’s just how it is. Everyone is being tossed around whether you have power or not. 」

It would be incredibly cruel if this world was a single stage. Even born as a brave person, even born as a great hero…People were manipulated according to the script.

One of the outcomes of that manipulation was this battle to the death between heroes. Perhaps even this battle to the death had no meaning. Perhaps it was simply a matter of those who desired to paint the script for others to act.

Valerie no longer understood anything. She was pure power, and nothing else.

What would remain in her hands?

「Valerie…」

Richard said in a hoarse voice, with his dying body, and his arms around Valerie’s back.

「…」

Valerie nodded.

…That day, Fort Medraut fell.

Only a few of the fort’s guards had survived. The fort, mostly defended by elderly soldiers, was inaccessible until it burned to the ground.

Commander Richard Permilis was recorded as having died with the burning fort.

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