Clang!
A metallic sound echoed as my Blood Sword was intercepted.
The blade sat right beside Shiunin’s face, blocked by her iron fan.
So, was this my defeat?
The condition was to cut her fan, but...?
My body was past its breaking point. Even with my makeshift Thunder Beast Shroud, I'd taken a direct hit from the genuine lightning of the black-hearted woman known as the Thunder Emperor. My defense had been little more than a drop of water on a scorching stone.
I was aware that I'd only managed to prolong my life by a mere heartbeat, and I could feel the severe burns covering my entire body. To make matters worse, I had pushed Frenzy past its limits. My muscles were shredded, and my bones groaned with every micro-movement.
It was a miracle I was even still breathing.
I collapsed on the spot like a puppet with its strings cut. But I couldn't let myself black out.
Wheezing, I looked up at Shiunin atop her curtained dais.
“...It’s... my win... isn’t it?”
Shiunin looked down at me with frigid indifference. She moved her hand, plunging the tip of her folded fan into the tatami mat right in front of my face.
“You call this 'cut,' you simpleton?!”
“The condition was to cut it. 'To cut' doesn't guarantee 'slicing through.' Just landing a strike is more than enough.”
“Y-you...! Such sophistry?!”
Damn, the world was spinning. I was on the verge of passing out.
But I had to keep a grip on reality. I had to force her to admit defeat. If she conceded, I could safely return from death, but if I died before we settled the wager, that would be the end of me.
“I refuse to accept this!”
“Give me a break... throw me a bone... I held my own against a former Demon King, didn't I?”
“...Tch.” She clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Very well. In honor of your sheer tenacity, I shall allow it—just this once.”
I was relieved my stubbornness worked. If she'd dragged this out any longer, I would've kicked the bucket before the deal was sealed.
“Understand that I do not call this your victory. It is merely my mercy. Do you understand?”
...Seriously? You’re such a petty woman. I kept my mouth shut, though. I didn't need her throwing another tantrum now.
“Fine. Mercy, charity, whatever you want to call it.”
Satisfied, Shiunin snorted. She lifted her fan, snapped it open, and gave it a sharp flick.
“I have temporarily severed the link between myself and my kin, the Thunder Beast Nue. I was using my own power to bolster its recovery. Without it, the beast's regenerative ability is but a shadow of its former self. Eventually, it will break apart and vanish.”
She hid the lower half of her face behind the fan, her eyes narrowing with malice.
“However, its disappearance is not imminent. If it is not struck down soon, the destruction will only mount. It is the kin of a Demon King, after all. Even without its rapid healing, its power remains absolute. I wonder... can you actually kill it?”
My vision began to warp. It might have been my dying brain hallucinating, but more likely, I was finally being ejected from Shiunin’s domain.
I was at my absolute limit.
Shiunin hadn't confirmed my death. As long as I exited this world now, I could return as the unharmed Albert. I could go finish off the Thunder Beast myself, but...
With my consciousness slipping away, I gave Shiunin my answer.
“...I’m not the one... who’s going to kill it...”
I’d let him have the glory for today. With the Saint’s buffs, he should be able to manage, right?
“...The Hero will.”
Everything went black.
“Give me the Bracelet of Saint Agatha.”
“...Lord Leon, are you certain?”
“I am.”
Leon took the ornament from Serafina’s outstretched hand. Standing in the torrential rain and thick mud, he gripped the bracelet with trembling fingers.
The Bracelet of Saint Agatha grants immunity to pain, but at the cost of your emotions.
That was how Serafina had described it.
The loss of emotion. The prospect was terrifying. He imagined the loss would feel like having his own limbs severed. But were the emotions currently festering in his heart truly worth keeping?
The future he’d envisioned as a Hero had been bright and promising, yet he had ended up here instead. Beaten by Albert, abandoned by Luna, and a constant disappointment to Serafina—since arriving at the Academy, Leon’s spirit had been shattered.
The person he was supposed to be—the strong leader who guided the masses—was gone.
(Does a Hero like this have any value?)
Then, another thought struck him. (Is there any point to emotions that bring nothing but suffering?)
If that was the case, he might as well discard them. Only then could he truly become a Hero. Only then could he fulfill his duty as a paragon who remained unshaken regardless of the odds.
(I will become the Hero who leads the people once more!)
Leon rose to his feet. In the distance, the instructors were struggling to contain the Thunder Beast, but their line was moments away from breaking. If he was to act, it had to be now.
Leon tore the left sleeve from his tattered uniform. Without a moment's hesitation, he slid the bracelet over his hand. Driven by some unseen magic, the bracelet constricted, adhering to his arm like a predator latching onto its prey.
A faint click echoed as it locked into place.
In that instant, all sound vanished from the world.
No, that wasn't quite right. The world remained the same; it was Leon’s perception that had shifted. The stimuli of the world felt distant. He wasn't so much experiencing his surroundings as he was observing them.
His senses hadn't been dulled. If anything, they were sharper than ever. Stripped of all filters, Leon perceived the world with crystalline clarity.
But the change within him was even more profound. He was filled with a total, absolute silence.
The volatile, murky emotions that had plagued him—anxiety, terror, inferiority, and jealousy—receded like a tide. In their place sat a cold stillness, reminiscent of the ocean's depths. All that remained was an unwavering spirit, immune to outside influence.
“Lord Leon, how do you feel?”
Ever since his defeat at Albert’s hands, Leon had been unable to take Serafina’s words at face value. He had constantly looked for hidden disappointment or silent reprimands, trapping himself in a cycle of self-doubt. Now, that hesitation was gone. He heard the words for exactly what they were.
“I feel excellent. It seems strange to me now—I cannot fathom why I ever hesitated to discard my emotions.”
“Oh, Lord Leon...! I am so glad I brought it to you! I have finally been of use...!”
“Apply your buff.”
“As you wish. Spell: Blessing of the Holy Heaven: Authority!”
The same buff that had nearly broken him earlier washed over him. He felt no fear. Before, his body would have seized up under the weight of the Saint's power, but now he felt nothing. He accepted the energy with a heart as still as a frozen lake.
Normally, his very bones would have groaned under the strain. But the pain was distant now. It wasn't that he felt nothing at all, but the sensation was so minor it could be easily ignored. Leon stood his ground, his face a mask of indifference.
“More, Serafina.”
“Pardon?”
“A stronger buff. Use the most powerful spell in your repertoire.”
“Blessing of the Holy Heaven: Power!”
The intensity of the magic spiked. He could feel the physical pressure mounting against his muscles, yet the pain remained manageable—a mere background noise. His frozen spirit dismissed the sensation as a triviality.
“Oh, Lord Leon... do you truly feel no pain?” Serafina asked, her expression one of pure ecstasy.
“Correct. In this state, I can fight.”
“Oh... how divine...!”
Serafina was swept away by a wave of rapture. Leon had finally reached it. He had transcended human limitations—the instinctive fear of death and the crushing weight of pain.
“This is the form of the True Hero!”
Serafina clasped her hands to her chest, looking up at him as if in prayer while tears streamed down her face.
“Serafina, thank you for everything. I apologize for the concern I caused you.”
They were likely words left over from the Leon who still possessed a heart. He took his first step toward the Thunder Beast.
“I will be the one to slay that creature.”
Devoid of both fear and excitement, his hollow eyes locked onto his target.