Boom! A section of the school building erupted in an explosion—
Inside a classroom, Saint Seraphina watched the scene unfold. She stared at the malevolent entity standing in the schoolyard—a defiled existence whose very presence was a denial of the Absolute God she served.
The Demon King.
Primal terror gripped the hearts of the students throughout the room, and their screams filled the air.
Yet, an entirely different emotion was blossoming within Seraphina’s breast.
(Ah, finally...! Finally, finally, finally, finally, finally, finally!)
She clasped her hands before her chest, her fingertips burning with heat.
(Finally, the moment has come!)
The Words of Absolute God Zenos resonated in the back of her mind.
—The Demon King shall soon be resurrected. In the future, Hero Leon shall strike down that great evil. Support him faithfully; aid him well.
That day, bathed in light within the depths of the sanctuary, she had received her divine mission from the Absolute God.
The time to fulfill that mission was now.
Exhilaration surged through her entire body. Her raison d'être as a Saint would finally be proven.
"Lord Leon."
She spoke to Leon, who was staring out the window beside her.
Leon’s green eyes held no emotion—neither the terror of the other students nor the ecstasy felt by Seraphina.
"Let us go."
"Understood."
As they moved through the hallway, they caught glimpses of Principal Galfried and the other teachers confronting the Demon King.
(...I hope they are still alive...)
Only the Hero and the Saint could truly oppose the Demon King; the others never stood a chance of winning. Though she wanted to hurry to the scene, Seraphina and Leon still required preparation.
Just before they stepped out into the schoolyard, Seraphina came to a halt.
"Lord Leon. Before we march into the final battle, please take this."
Seraphina raised both hands toward the heavens.
The Saint's Power.
It was a miraculous authority bestowed by the heavens, a power permitted only to a Saint. White light overflowed from Seraphina’s body as she unleashed the holy power sleeping in the depths of her soul. The radiance surged through her hands and erupted toward the sky.
"O God, this warrior now embarks upon a Holy War. Grant a blade of battle to the brave. Grant a blade of light to sunder the eternal darkness. Grant a righteous blade to uphold unyielding justice."
Within the light, a shadow took form. The silhouette solidified into a single sword.
Golden Holy Script ran across the silver-white blade. The characters, etched like a tempering pattern, were passages from the Ancient Scriptures. The hilt was adorned with a design mimicking angel wings, which spread out to gently envelop the wielder's hand.
As the sword manifested, the surrounding atmosphere shifted. The cold winter air became preternaturally clear, as if washed by the pure waters of spring. The air was transformed, purified of all defilement.
The Holy Sword came to a rest before Leon.
"Lord Leon."
Leon reached out and gripped the hilt.
In that instant, a shockwave of holy power radiated from him. Seraphina’s hair whipped violently in the wind, and the walls of the school building creaked under the pressure.
"Lord Leon—receive God's blessing."
Seraphina placed her hands on Leon's back and poured the full strength of her Blessing of the Holy Heaven: Blaze into him.
Blaze.
Among a Saint's blessings, it was the most powerful protection a Hero could receive. The Leon of the past could never have endured it, but he was ready now.
Leon's body was enveloped in a shimmering golden light. Gripping the Holy Sword and clad in that divine radiance, his figure was—
(Ah... beautiful.)
Seraphina involuntarily caught her breath. The silver of the Holy Sword and the gold of the blessing blended together, light racing across Leon's body. He was the perfected form of a Hero. The ideal savior envisioned by God stood before her.
(This is Lord Leon’s true form. He has finally reached these heights.)
Her chest burned with emotion. Every day she had spent walking alongside him had been for this very moment. Now, the words of the Absolute God would be proven true.
By the time they reached the schoolyard, the struggle there had already reached its end. Principal Galfried and three other teachers were dead. Even with the Saint's Power, life could not be returned to those who had already passed.
Seraphina offered a brief prayer for the teachers who had sacrificed their lives in the Holy War.
The pair drew closer to the silent, looming Demon King. The moment Leon and Seraphina appeared, the atmosphere shifted. The students watching from the school windows saw the golden Hero and his Holy Sword.
"Th-That's... Leon!"
"It's the Hero...! Hero Leon is here! The Saint is with him!"
"It’s the Hero entrusted by Lady Eliana to perform the Demon King Subjugation!"
"Please... I beg you, defeat the Demon King...!"
The voices of the desperate students changed, their cries now filled with prayer and hope.
Still wearing a blank expression, Leon leveled the Holy Sword.
"...Going."
He spoke in a flat, hollow voice, and in the next instant, he vanished.
A golden afterglow trailed behind him, marking his trajectory. His leg strength, reinforced by the blessing, shattered the earth as he closed the distance.
He brought the Holy Sword down in a heavy strike.
The Demon King was protected by the Void Barrier—a malicious defense woven from violet-black mana that nullified all attacks. However, the moment the Holy Sword made contact, its radiance carved through the Void Barrier without resistance.
The strike slammed into the Demon King's right wrist as she moved to guard.
Clang!
A high-pitched sound of clashing metal echoed across the yard. Leon unleashed a flurry of strikes, the Holy Sword scattering sparks of holy light every time it met the Demon King’s arm, but that was all.
There were no visible wounds. Her defensive power was beyond all reason.
Leon remained undeterred. As if deciding that even a slight scratch justified infinite repetition, he launched a relentless Multi-layered Attack, striking again and again.
Then, the Demon King retaliated.
She swung her right hand with a lazy, careless motion, as if brushing away an annoying insect. Leon took the blow, which was laden with immense mana, through the Holy Sword.
"Gah—!?"
Leon, who almost never showed pain, let out a sharp cry as he was sent hurtling backward. He struggled to rise, but every bone in his body had been pulverized. He lost his balance and collapsed, coughing up a spray of blood.
"Lord Leon!"
From afar, Seraphina instantly invoked her healing magic. White light enveloped Leon, repairing the damage in a heartbeat. Pain and exhaustion evaporated, and Leon stood once more, fully restored.
Just as Leon had become capable of withstanding the highest-level buffs, Seraphina had also mastered her craft.
"Please do your best, Lord Leon!"
Encouraged by Seraphina's voice, Leon charged the Demon King again. He launched several more attacks, only to be crushed once more. Yet, the moment he fell, Seraphina’s healing reached him. A fully recovered Leon would then immediately resume the assault.
It was a style of combat that embodied pure indomitability.
(This is the true essence of a Hero. I must be his pillar!)
Saint Seraphina continued to cast healing magic in rapid succession. Their opponent possessed unfathomable power; even for Leon, who had reached the pinnacle of his potential, a head-on battle was a grueling ordeal. This tenacity was possible only because Seraphina was there to sustain him.
Yet, a seed of anxiety took root in her heart.
She could not continue this indefinitely. A Saint's mana was not inexhaustible.
(Pull yourself together, Seraphina! If you don't believe in Lord Leon, who will? His attacks are certainly damaging the Demon King. Surely—)
Surely, Leon would finish the job. He had always met her expectations before. She would continue to support him, staking her entire will as a Saint on his victory.