The hero who saved the Academy.
A commoner who single-handedly slaughtered a horde of monsters.
Ever since the day the Order attacked the Royal Capital, Reiji was met with praise wherever he went.
Yet, his heart remained clouded.
It wasn't because he was humble.
Nor was he put off by the unexpected attention.
He simply could not find it in himself to be happy.
Because he still hadn't defeated the man he needed to defeat—.
◆
It appeared in his dreams over and over again.
The sight of his defeat at the hands of that man at the Fortress Ruins—.
"—Damn it!!"
It became part of his daily routine to roar the moment he woke up each morning.
Then, without even washing his face, he would leave his room and swing his sword until he could no longer lift his arms.
The humiliation of 그날 was etched into his mind.
The kidnapping of Celestia. The man who appeared to be the mastermind: Claude von Einhart. Ever since losing to him, Reiji’s world had changed.
Since childhood, Reiji had yearned to be a hero.
Now, however, he was driven by a singular obsession with strength.
—I want to be strong.
Reiji lived for that purpose alone.
"So, you wish to become my disciple."
The first person he bowed his head to was the Chief Knight serving House Rosemilian.
He was a master swordsman rumored to be among the top three in the country. Relying on Celestia’s connections, Reiji was accepted as his student.
"Listen, Reiji. The less a man knows about the sword, the more he tries to force his ideals upon it. …Don't try to master everything. Figure out the one thing that can only be achieved with a blade… and master that alone."
The knight began by teaching Reiji the fundamental nature of the sword.
Day after day, he swung a wooden sword; he was even ordered to clutch it while he slept.
Once his understanding deepened, the forms were beaten into him relentlessly.
Smeared in mud and vomiting blood, Reiji continued to stand back up.
Eventually, when his master declared he had reached a "satisfactory level," Reiji had one thought:
—It’s not enough.
To win against that man, the sword alone might not be sufficient.
He continued his reckless, driven lifestyle.
Searching for something beyond the blade.
"You ought to make use of the Holy Sword’s power."
The one who showed Reiji the path was the Academy Director.
He was the head of the Royal Magic Academy and a master of magic whom everyone admired—an old sage rumored to have mastered First Rank Magic, though no one knew for certain.
Reiji bowed his head to the Academy Director as well.
"Please, make me strong." To that plea, the Director merely smiled.
"Keep this a secret from the others, won't you? I’m a retired man… I’ve publicly stated that I no longer take disciples."
From that day on, the school grounds at midnight became Reiji’s private training hall.
The power of the Holy Sword was similar to magic. More accurately, the sensation of utilizing the two powers was identical. That was why the Academy Director taught Reiji magic.
Reiji was forged by the finest masters to be found anywhere in the world.
He was taught the sword.
He was taught magic.
He was taught how to wield the Holy Sword.
When those three strengths overlapped—Reiji was transformed.
When the Academy was attacked, Reiji unleashed his newly awakened power.
Out of a student body of roughly one thousand, there were a few injuries, but not a single death.
Reiji had protected a thousand students single-handedly.
The students had been riddled with anxiety in the Academy Director's absence, and Reiji had shouldered that burden alone.
The innocent commoner who had once only dreamed of being a hero because of picture books had become a hero in both name and reality.
Yet, he was still not satisfied.
His heart would not clear.
"Reiji-kun. Didn't you want to become a hero?"
The Academy Director asked him this while they were working to reconstruct the Student Dormitory.
Reiji struggled for the right words.
"I used to think so. …But it’s different now."
What drove the current Reiji was no longer a childhood dream.
It was an obsession with strength.
And its source was————.
◆
"Ooooooohhhhhhhh—!!"
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!!"
Reiji roared.
Claude screamed.
Swords clashed against swords. Mana overflowed, and sparks flew violently.
In the silence of the basement where no one could interfere, the echoes of their clashing blades rang out repeatedly.
He had wanted to be a hero.
He had wanted to be the protagonist of a story.
But now, more than any of that————.
——————I want to kill this man!!
He would sacrifice everything for that one goal.
"Hah!!"
Reiji lunged forward with a shout.
The Golden Twin Swords flashed.
The two blades cut through the air, descending upon Claude.
"Tch!?"
Claude groaned in pain and scrambled backward.
Reiji’s brow furrowed slightly at the sight.
…Is he exhausted?
He couldn't see any obvious wounds, but Claude’s clothes were in tatters. More than that, his face showed signs of extreme mental fatigue.
But—that was no excuse.
Until a moment ago, Reiji had also been pushing himself to the limit to protect the people from monsters.
And yet, here he was, challenging Claude.
A battle isn't something you do when you feel like it.
It’s something you do when you have no other choice.
"Ooooooohhhhhhhh—!!"
Claude caught Reiji’s descending strike with his Jet-black Greatsword.
A high-pitched, ear-piercing metallic shriek filled the room.
Heavy.
The greatsword in Claude’s grip felt as solid as bedrock.
However—it was different from their last encounter.
…I can see it!!
Reiji’s eyes clearly tracked Claude’s movements.
Claude’s swordsmanship was far from refined. It was likely self-taught—a beast-like style forged in the heat of real combat.
The old Reiji would have been overwhelmed by that raw power.
But now, he had the techniques his master had beaten into him.
"There—!!"
Reiji parried Claude’s heavy, swinging strike by sliding it along the side of his own blade.
As Claude’s posture crumbled, Reiji drove a kick into his chest with all his might.
"Gu, ugh…!?"
The attack landed.
He was finally reaching the monster that he hadn't even been able to touch before.
Reiji was certain of it.
Even if Claude were at his best—the current Reiji could stand against him.
…Hey, Claude.
I owe you my thanks.
It’s because of you that I was able to get this strong.
Because I wanted to beat you.
Because I wanted to crush you.
I’ve endured hellish training every single day.
Every moment, every hour————!!
Just for the sake of defeating you————!!!!
『—It’s ready!!』
A woman’s voice echoed in Reiji’s mind the moment he swung his sword.
After knocking Claude’s greatsword aside, Reiji leaped back to create distance.
The sword in his right hand bore the Crest of Flame.
That crest was now glowing with a brilliant red light.
When Reiji Wolf's Holy Sword awakened, it split into two.
Just as the weapon had taken the form of twin blades, two personalities now resided within it.
The spirit dwelling in the sword of flame was the younger twin sister, Maria.
Her ability: Dance of Brilliant Flames (Ardor).
It accumulated heat with every swing of the blade.
『Now, Reiji!!』
Reiji leveled the sword in his left hand at Claude.
The Crest of the Sun engraved on its blade shone with a white light.
The spirit dwelling in the sword of the sun was the older twin sister, Dana.
Her ability: Triumph of the Sun (Roi Soleil).
It released all the accumulated heat at once.
Throughout their exchange, the heat generated by the Dance of Brilliant Flames (Ardor) had reached its boiling point.
Reiji unleashed that pent-up power in a single, explosive burst.
"—Triumph of the Sun (Roi Soleil)!!"
A heat ray as intense as the sun itself erupted from the blade.
A massive torrent of white light swallowed the entire underground chamber, engulfing Claude.
It was impossible to dodge. Defense was futile.
It was a strike designed to burn everything to ash.
"—Oooooooooooooooooh!!"
Claude's scream echoed from within the light.
Then, suddenly—.
A black stain appeared within the brilliant white glare.
What was this?
The light was… being sucked into it?
"Wha…!?"
The light faded.
Standing there was Claude, holding his Jet-black Sword aloft.
『What…?』
『That power…!?』
He could hear the confusion in Maria and Dana’s voices.
Claude lowered his sword.
A smile was plastered across his face—one so cruel and wicked it looked as though it belonged to a demon.
"…I can't exactly afford to be taken down that easily."
He didn't need to say it.
Reiji hadn't expected him to fall so easily from the start.
But—he knew he had a chance.
Reiji leveled his twin swords again.
He had no intention of letting history repeat itself.
He still had one more trump card left—.