Cold rain hammered the asphalt.
It was a memory I could never escape. The regret of that day...
In my previous life, I held a job meant to protect the order of society. I suppose I must have had a strong sense of justice back then. I can't say for certain, though, because not even a shred of that sentiment remains in me now.
In truth, that profession was never as grand as being a champion of justice. The first thing I learned after joining the organization was that a "sense of justice" is a common, cheap emotion that everyone possesses. The second thing I learned was that far too many people refuse to admit that, desperately clinging to the belief that they are somehow special.
Social order was managed by primitive men. Perhaps it was different in other departments, but where I worked, that was the reality.
In short, strength was justice. Or more accurately, the appearance of strength was justice.
Because of that, power harassment was rampant.
One day, I witnessed a female colleague suffering under that abuse. I saw it, and I wanted to do something, but...
I couldn't move.
My sense of justice had been worn down to nothing. My desire for self-preservation far outweighed any impulse to act. In a world where strength was justice, it wasn't hard to imagine what would happen to a mere rookie who defied his superior. I told myself I would wait for a better time. I told myself I would find a more clever way. I piled excuse upon excuse to justify doing nothing.
A few days later, that woman attempted suicide.
I felt like the lowest form of life on earth. I grew ashamed of my title. Eventually, I threw that title away and became an ordinary salaryman, but I never truly outran the regret of that day.
I have spent a lifetime regretting it. Regretting that I failed to reach out my hand when it mattered most.
So—this time, for sure.
This time, I will reach out. With the hand that failed all those years ago, I will save her.
"—GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
The Chimera’s roar jerked my consciousness back to the present.
Massive claws swung toward me, aiming to shatter my skull.
...Too slow.
I parried the strike effortlessly with the Holy Sword.
Third Rank Magic, Dark Arma, granted me a level of speed that defied common sense. I circled behind the Chimera in a blur, instantly severing its serpent-headed tail.
『You...』
I heard Zest’s voice, thick with shock.
The Chimera turned, howling in agony. Blinded by rage, the beast lunged, its massive jaws snapping at me to crush my bones.
"I said you're too slow!!"
I leaped, slamming the flat of my blade into the creature's open maw. The force of the blow drove the Chimera’s head deep into the dirt.
It looked like a dog being told to stay. A fitting look for a beast like that.
A single flash.
I swung the Holy Sword faster than I could process the thought. A heavy, wet thud echoed through the clearing. The Chimera’s massive bulk split down its center and collapsed into two bloody heaps.
The battle over, Zest returned to my right arm in the form of a tattoo.
"Well... that was a bit of a letdown."
『...No. That Chimera was undoubtedly stronger than you.』
"Is that so? I didn't get a scratch."
『The magic resonated with your will.』
"Resonated? What’s that supposed to mean?"
『Magic is designed to grow according to the caster's intent. That is its nature.』
I didn't quite grasp the theory, but now that he mentioned it, the output of Dark Arma had felt significantly higher than usual.
I had no time to bask in the victory. Without bothering to wipe the blood from my coat, I stepped over the Chimera’s remains and marched toward the fort.
『Be on your guard, Claude. I sense an astronomical amount of mana coming from within the fort.』
Zest’s tone was more strained than I’d ever heard it. He’d called the Chimera a superior foe, but this sounded like something else entirely.
『He is in a different league altogether. ...I wish we had reinforcements.』
"Ha. Don't make me laugh, Zest. You think a guy like me has anyone to call for help?"
『...Point taken.』
Who would rush to the aid of a man who was currently making himself the most hated person in the world? I was on my own.
Fine by me. Fighting alone had its advantages—chiefly, that no one else would get caught in the crossfire.
I reached the crumbling fort nestled in the heart of the forest. Standing at the far end of the hall was a man draped in a white coat. He had pulled back his hood, revealing a young face, perhaps thirty years old, with silver hair falling to his shoulders.
At his feet, bound and unconscious, lay Celestia.
『For now, it seems she is unharmed.』
Yeah... things hadn't reached the horrific future I’d seen through the Master Eye yet. Thank god. I’d made it in time.
However...
『That man... is he even human?』
I felt the same way. The aura he radiated wasn't something as mundane as mana. It was the heavy, suffocating scent of death itself. Just by standing there, he seemed to warp the space around him, draining the very color from the air.
In the Worldline as It Should Be, Reiji lost to this man. That was why Celestia died. This was the man the Hero couldn't defeat.
My instincts screamed at me to run. They told me that involvement meant certain death.
"Who goes there?" the man asked.
I answered him as I activated Dark Arma. "Just a passing stepping stone."
"A stepping...?"
I closed the distance in a heartbeat, swinging the manifested Holy Sword. But the man evaded the strike with casual grace, drifting back to create distance.
"That sword... no, it couldn't be."
My fastest attack, and he dodged it like it was nothing. This was going to be a nightmare.
『Buy me some time, Claude. I need to knead the mana.』
Got it. I had plenty of questions for him anyway.
"And who the hell are you?"
"Hmph... very well. I suppose I can indulge you." The man spoke with the air of someone who saw exactly what I was trying to do but simply didn't care. "My name is Luxion. My rank within the Apostles is Feather."
An Apostle? His white coat certainly set him apart from the other cultists. So the Order had a hierarchy.
"Why did you take Celestia?"
"To ensure the fulfillment of our Great Ambition."
"Creating an Evil God, you mean? What does she have to do with that?"
"Explaining the intricacies would be tedious. Simply put, this girl’s body serves as a vessel for Secret Rank Magic."
"What?"
That was news to me. Typically, magic was graded from the Fifth Rank up to the First Rank. But there were three classifications that sat outside that scale: Royal Rank, Secret Rank, and Forbidden Rank. These were rare, bound by specific conditions or bloodlines.
Royal Rank was the province of sovereign families. Secret Rank referred to spells whose acquisition was hidden by ancient traditions. Forbidden Rank was magic that had been sealed away because its very nature was an affront to the world.
I knew Celestia was talented, but I’d never heard a word about her possessing Secret Rank Magic.
『I’m ready!!』
Good. Time was up. I responded to Zest’s signal by pouring every drop of mana I had into my frame. My speed hadn't been enough to touch him, but I hadn't tested my maximum output yet.
"Dark Arma!!"
An aura of pitch-black shadows erupted from me, darker than the night itself. I forced my body to its absolute limit. I’d end this in one blow.
"All that desperation for a simple Third Rank spell? Pathetic," Luxion said, his voice cold. "This world is better off destroyed."
I forced my trembling legs to move, charging at him. Luxion didn't flinch. He merely flicked his fingers.
"Earth Gate."
The air in front of me tore open. A muddy, brown rift appeared in space, and a massive spear of jagged rock lunged out. It was too close. I couldn't dodge.
"Gah...!?"
The stone spear tore through my side. I’d twisted just enough to keep it from being a killing blow, but the impact sent me tumbling, and my mask shattered against the stone floor.
"So, you are the brat of the Einhart family?" Luxion looked mildly intrigued.
Famous for all the wrong reasons, as usual.
"Heh... I suppose you aren't quite the villain the rumors suggest."
"Shut up," I spat. "I don't need a lecture from a real monster."
"Then sink into the earth along with your infamy."
Luxion flicked his fingers again. Earth Gates opened in every direction around me, the muzzles of stone cannons peering through the rifts. A volley of projectiles screamed toward me. I managed to cut down a few, but there were too many.
"GUWAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
It felt like being beaten by a dozen hammers at once. The pain was so intense I felt my consciousness start to slip.
When you reached the Second Rank, the nature of magic changed. Gate was a summoning spell that allowed the caster to manifest any lower-rank magic they had mastered instantly and without limit. First he’d used Earth Lance, then Earth Shot. He was calling them forth like a bottomless well.
If Third Rank Arma was a spell of mobility, then Second Rank Gate was a spell of overwhelming quantity—an anti-army spell.
And he was using it on a single man.
"It is over."
I felt a massive surge of mana from above. Looking up through the holes in the ceiling, I saw it—a colossal mass of rock summoned high in the sky. It was a cluster of Earth Shots so large it looked like a mountain.
A mountain was falling on me.
『—Claude!! That’s enough! We have to run!!』
"Zest...?"
『You did everything you could! But this is a defeat ordained by Fate! This was never a battle meant to be won!』
ordained defeat? Like a scripted loss in a game?
"So what if it is?"
If the outcome was already decided, was I just supposed to give up? Was I supposed to pull my hand back just because the odds were zero?
"Zest!! You’re a Holy Sword, aren't you!? You were given a mission by Fate just like I was! If that's the case, then give me the power to tear that destiny apart! That is the only thing we can do! Because we know the Worldline as It Should Be, we’re the only ones who can choose a different future! Prove it to me!!"
The mountain continued its descent. I didn't move. Even if my hands were crushed and my legs were shattered, I would fight until the very end. Even if I lost everything, I would find a way to tear the throat out of anyone who tried to kill Celestia.
At that moment of resolve, the Holy Sword in my right hand began to pulse in time with my heart.
『I don't believe it,』 Zest whispered, his voice shaking with awe. 『To think you could force an awakening this early.』
"Awakening? What are you talking about?"
『A Holy Sword changes its form to match its master. Until now, I had only changed my color. But your soul has finally dragged out my true power.』
The pitch-black blade began to twist and liquefy, churning like a shadow. It was evolving, like a butterfly tearing its way out of a chrysalis.
『I am awake. Now, you shall see what I am truly capable of.』
Dense mana poured from the blade, so thick it began to distort the air around us.
"That sword...!?" Luxion’s eyes went wide. "Impossible! A Holy Sword? You... are you the Savior!?"
He’d recognized it instantly. Had he been looking for it? Luxion’s calm facade crumbled into panicked confusion.
"No, that’s not right! The Savior is already here! Then who the hell are you!?"
I spat out a mouthful of blood and grinned. "I told you. I'm just a passing stepping stone!"
The awakening finished. The weapon I now held was no longer a simple sword; it was a massive, jagged slab of black metal shaped like a guillotine blade. It was crude, heavy, and terrifyingly sharp.
『What an ironic form,』 Zest remarked. 『The Holy Sword of the First Savior—Gran Guignol. To think I would manifest this power once again...』
Information flooded my mind, teaching me how to wield the beast in my hands. It was a terrifying power. Was this really something that belonged to a "holy" weapon? It felt more like a tool of pure slaughter.
"It’s perfect."
It was a weapon that suited a stepping stone like me. With this, we could devour any injustice the world threw our way.
I braced myself as the mountain of stone shattered the ceiling, debris and wind pressure threatening to blow me away. I planted my feet and waited.
Now!!
『Let’s go!!』
Gran Guignol erupted with a shroud of malevolent darkness.
"—Full Drain!!"
The black greatsword slammed into the falling mass of rock. In an instant, the mountain lost its physical mass, dissolving into particles of darkness that were sucked into the blade.
"What...!?" Luxion gasped as his ultimate attack vanished into nothingness.
That was the power of Gran Guignol: Full Drain. It decomposed and absorbed any form of energy, whether it was magical or physical, and converted it into my own power.
Devour and discharge. Consume and retaliate. It was the sword of an Asura, designed for a warrior who had to fight alone against the world.
"I believe this belongs to you."
I unleashed the vast stores of absorbed energy. A tidal wave of pitch-black force swept through the fort, carrying the compressed mass of the entire mountain.
"No! Stay back!" Luxion screamed, frantically deploying Earth Gates to create a dozen Earth Walls.
How pathetic. He had to know that those walls were useless against the very power he had created.
The black flash tore through the Earth Gates as if they were made of paper. The torrent of energy erased the back of the fort and carved a path of destruction through the forest beyond. Luxion didn't even have time to scream before he was consumed by the void.
"Haah... haah..."
Silence fell over the ruins. I leaned on the sword, using it as a crutch to keep from collapsing. A few yards away, Celestia lay on the floor. Watching her chest rise and fall with each quiet breath, I finally let out the tension I'd been holding.
『You did it, Claude.』
Yeah. I won. I protected her.
"Tia... she isn't the kind of person who should die in a place like this."
Even if Fate had decreed her death, I would scream my denial until my lungs gave out. Celestia von Rosemilian deserved to live, to find happiness, and to bring joy to others. That was the only future I would accept.
『...Heh.』 Zest gave a soft, proud chuckle. 『I hate to say it, but you don't look much like a villain right now.』
I was covered in blood and filth, my clothes were rags, and my body was screaming in pain. But my mind was clear. Zest was right—this wasn't the look of a villain.
I wiped the blood from my chin and forced a cold, arrogant smirk back onto my face. A man like Claude wasn't meant to shine.
"The villainy starts now."
Isn't that right, Reiji?
Hearing the frantic rush of footsteps from the entrance, I turned to face the approaching Hero.