I turned around to find a red-haired boy standing behind me.
In the not-so-distant future, this boy would be the one to save the world. He would become a reliable hero, glaring at his enemies with a piercing gaze and cutting them down with a fierce blade.
But for now, he was still young.
The boy looked at me, his expression clouded with confusion.
"Claude... what is the meaning of this?"
Reiji demanded an answer before he could even catch his ragged breath.
He must have run here at full speed. Despite a mountain literally falling from the sky, he hadn't fled; instead, he had charged toward the epicenter. That brand of courage was certainly worthy of praise.
"Why is Tia lying there at your feet...?"
Reiji’s gaze darted between me and Celestia, who lay unconscious on the ground.
With every back-and-forth shift of his eyes, his face twisted further with righteous fury.
『He's completely misunderstood the situation.』
Yeah. The circumstantial evidence was more than enough.
There was me, the man who had treated Celestia with nothing but cold indifference. I was the one who hadn't batted an eye upon hearing she had been abducted. And now, here I was, standing over her prone form.
No matter who looked at the scene, I was the clear mastermind.
"Claude...! Don't tell me you were the one pulling the strings all along...!"
"Hmph."
I let out a derisive snort.
An explanation? I had no intention of giving one.
Right now, I was standing in the most perfect position in the world to serve as his stepping stone.
"I’ll leave that to your imagination."
"You bastard—!!"
Reiji lunged.
It was a reckless charge driven by pure passion. In his hand, he gripped a mass-produced iron sword, the kind you could find anywhere.
『His form isn't half bad.』
Yeah, he had grown considerably since our fight in the Chamber of Prophecy.
Had he found a master? Was it someone at the Academy, or perhaps one of the Knights of House Rosemilian?
I waited until he was a hair's breadth away before parrying his iron sword with my Jet-black Holy Sword.
Hard sparks showered between us. While I blocked him with a single hand, Reiji gripped his hilt with both, his teeth bared and grinding.
"I can forgive anything... but not you!"
As our blades remained locked, Reiji glared at me with enough intensity to kill.
"I will never, ever forgive you!"
In that instant, a sharp crack echoed through the ruins.
A fracture raced down the length of Reiji's iron sword.
The world suddenly bleached white.
A blinding radiance erupted from within the crack. The sword wasn't shattering—I knew this light all too well.
The iron shards flaked and fell away like useless husks.
Revealed from within was a beautiful blade that shimmered with a golden brilliance.
A Holy Sword.
Internally, I offered him a silent round of applause.
I had been waiting for this. I had been waiting for this moment since the very beginning.
This was the possibility I had stolen from him—the phenomenon that should have occurred back in the Chamber of Prophecy.
Finally, Reiji had obtained his Holy Sword.
However...
"What’s the matter? Are you just going to wave that glowing stick around?"
"D-Dammit!"
I continued to parry Reiji's strikes with only one hand.
His sword speed had increased exponentially. On top of that, every swing unleashed a crescent of light, carrying an impact like a focused explosion.
Even so, I was still stronger.
My battle with Luxion had widened the gap between us. My awakened Zest was on an entirely different level than a Holy Sword that had only just manifested. Even among the same class of weapons, there were stages of power.
But that was a problem.
I had made a promise to the heavens—to Fate itself. I had sworn that I would serve as the ultimate stepping stone to make up for the fact that Celestia was still alive.
"Come on, Reiji! Is that all you've got?"
"CLAUDE!"
In response to Reiji's scream, the Holy Sword in his hand began to react.
The Golden Holy Sword started to warp and shift, emitting a high-pitched sound like a shriek.
『Here it comes!』
Yeah... here it is.
The second stage of awakening. The transformation that was supposed to be triggered by the trauma of Celestia's death.
Good.
I was successfully fulfilling my role as his stepping stone.
I had managed to become the catalyst in her stead.
The golden light wasn't just coming from the sword anymore. A dazzling radiance began to pour from Reiji’s body as well.
This was a phenomenon I hadn't experienced during my own awakening.
But I had seen this before through the Master Eye.
This was likely Reiji’s unique gift.
A holy power specifically designed to slay an Evil God.
『...What on earth is that shape?』
Reiji's Holy Sword completed its transformation.
I had been stunned by the drastic change in my own weapon, but Reiji's was even more radical.
『Two swords? There's no record of such a form in all of history.』
Zest sounded genuinely shaken.
Reiji's Holy Sword had split into two separate blades.
The Golden Twin Swords. That was the true form of the weapon Reiji held.
Looking closely, the two blades were slightly different. The sword in his right hand bore a sun-like motif, while the one in his left was adorned with a crest of flickering flames.
...Must be nice.
They looked incredibly cool.
Why was my Holy Sword just a massive, black slab of metal?
『Hey! You said I was the best!』
I think you're the best for the role I have to play... but you're not exactly my aesthetic preference.
『Guh...! If I only had a physical body, I would beat you to death myself!』
A shame you don't.
Still, now wasn't the time for such pointless bickering. I was reaching my limit.
"Hmph. To think a Savior would be this weak. That title truly is wasted on you."
I lowered Zest and turned my back to him.
"Are you running, Claude?!"
"It would be a pain if you called for reinforcements. Don't mistake this for me yielding to the likes of you."
I was utterly exhausted after the life-and-death struggle with Luxion. I had already achieved my goal of triggering Reiji's awakening.
Besides...
Zest. What’s your take on Reiji’s current strength?
『I imagine it's the same as yours.』
Exactly.
There was no doubting Reiji's potential after he managed two awakenings in such a short window. He wasn't destined to be a hero for nothing.
But even so, I was still stronger.
No matter what secret power was hidden in those twin swords, I couldn't even imagine myself losing to him yet.
I couldn't let him surpass me just yet. I still had the obligation to drag him toward his full potential.
Reiji.
Keep going.
Keep getting stronger, just like that.
And make sure you stay alive.
Suddenly, I remembered something Reiji had said to me once. I didn't know why it came back to me at a time like this.
I’m sorry, Reiji.
You probably won't believe me, but I’m living my life the best way I know how.
So make sure you live yours, too.
And make sure... you eventually surpass me.
"Bark all you want. Your sword will never reach me."
"Wait, Claude! Don't you dare run!"
I shrouded myself in Jet-black Magic Power and vanished from the ruins.
Celestia would be safe now. Reiji would protect her.
The future hero—the real one—would keep her safe.
"CLAUDE!"
Through the haze of her fading consciousness, Celestia von Rosemilian heard a voice.
"Just a passing—"
She couldn't quite catch the rest.
Yet, it felt like a voice she knew well.
She heard the sounds of a violent struggle. Shouts. The earth trembling.
And amidst it all, a powerful, commanding voice.
"Impossible... Holy Sword... Savior..."
The sounds continued.
She heard a man's panicked voice.
"Tia is... not someone who is allowed to die..."
She heard another voice.
It sounded like his voice from that day—the one that had been so kind.
"...Master Claude?"