The two of them finally cleared the magic circle and spun around. Licia stared at the center of the stone pavement, where dust swirled and the ground lay pulverized.
"An entity guarding the seal?! Or—is it a survivor of the Demon King's Army?!"
Fragments of the shattered pavement fell like a rain of stone.
"—It’s likely..."
Ren narrowed his eyes, staring through the haze.
The creature possessed a massive frame, well over five meils tall, clad in jet-black armor engraved with gold. It had four arms and a tattered cloth draped over one shoulder. It yanked the Crimson Greatsword that had crushed the silver relic out of the pavement and seized the second blade—the one that had pursued them as they fled the magic circle.
It began to march toward Ren and Licia.
"—A General of the Demon King's Army."
Ren would never forget that silhouette. He had seen it in an old book back in the Executive Committee Room at the academy. Except for the color of the cloth on its shoulder, it was exactly as the reference book described. He caught his breath as the monster brandished its Crimson Greatswords—blades that looked as if they were forged from massive rubies—with all four arms.
Given the circumstances, its intent to kill was unmistakable.
Licia exhaled a long breath, her tone laced with resignation.
"Honestly, I wonder who we’re supposed to be angry at right now."
"The Elfen Church is a safe bet. Their management of this seal is appalling."
"I agree. But if we want to lodge a protest, we’ll have to deal with that thing first."
Two questions weighed on Ren's mind. First, why had the relic suddenly fallen and shattered just as they arrived? Second, the reason they had been pulled into this remained a mystery.
(The only way to find out is to get out of here alive.)
Fortunately, the opponent’s movements were sluggish. Although its tenacity in breaching the magic circle was impressive, it had been trapped within this seal for centuries. It had likely only been able to stir because the seal had weakened, and moving within this distorted space had to be a strain.
(But how did it survive?)
No matter how powerful a General of the Demon King's Army might be, surviving hundreds of years inside a seal seemed impossible. There had to be a reason—some special factor allowing it to resist the Time Cage. Ren frowned and focused on the cloth draped over the monster's shoulder.
(If I remember the book correctly... that cloth was supposed to be blue, however dirty it was.)
Now, it was gray.
He suspected that cloth possessed a special power that had sustained the monster within the Time Cage, allowing it to pass the centuries in a state akin to hibernation. If the cloth was losing its power, that would explain why the color had faded—and why the creature was waking up.
After sharing his hypothesis with Licia, Ren spoke firmly.
"We have two options. We can fight and defeat it, or we can retreat and buy time until the seal breaks."
With every heavy step the giant monster took, the stone pavement cracked and groaned. Through the settling dust, it raised its second greatsword.
"We don't know when the seal will break, but there’s a chance we can find a way out," Licia noted.
"Exactly. So it’s probably best to avoid an all-out fight if we can."
Licia nodded in agreement. They turned their backs on the plaza of Roses Kaitas and moved toward the stone staircase, hoping to put distance between themselves and the monster. They couldn't afford to take a fight against a general of that caliber lightly.
...But their escape routes were rapidly vanishing.
Suddenly, the mountain slopes and the ground itself shattered. Gouged rocks rose up, surrounding them in a jagged ring. A supernatural phenomenon followed as Purple Lightning crackled between the stones. Ren attempted to use Star-Cleaver to dispel it, but the magic was so potent that even his sword couldn't negate it.
The sky turned a bloody red, and the seal ahead of them appeared warped and distorted. It was clear that escaping together as they had planned would be nearly impossible.
(—Do I have no choice but to fight?)
If Ren recalled correctly, this creature had been known as the Sword Demon before it became one of the Demon King's aides. He couldn't help but wonder just how terrifying its four-armed swordplay would be.
"I’ll find a way to draw its attention."
Licia's eyes widened. "What?"
The Sword Demon, standing at the center of the magic circle, swung its four arms and locked its gaze on them. There was no room left to be reactive. If the opponent could use magic that Star-Cleaver couldn't cancel, the disparity in power was already obvious.
"I’ll buy us some time, so please run! Get out of range, as far as you can—!"
Before the Sword Demon could even take its next step, Ren lunged. He charged through the dust to intercept the giant swordsman.
"I never thought I'd be fighting a General of the Demon King's Army, let alone before the cult!"
Ren swung his Iron Magic Sword at the five-meil-tall frame. His strike was a blur of steel that left the sound behind, trailing a wind as sharp as a razor.
"Ooooooooooo—!"
With a guttural roar, the Sword Demon swung down one of its Crimson Greatswords. Ren caught the strike from below, a pained groan escaping his lips. As the fear of being crushed flashed through his mind, he felt his entire body surge with Holy Magic.
(—This is...!)
He didn't stop to be surprised. Instead, he channeled that energy into his blade. Looking up at the Sword Demon, he threw every ounce of his strength into a counter.
"Hyaaaah!"
"—?!"
Ren managed to shove the Crimson Greatsword back. Just before a second blade could descend, it was violently parried.
"I thought I told you to run!" Ren shouted.
"I never agreed to that! I’d rather die than run away and leave you behind, Ren!"
Licia’s voice was resolute as she deflected the second greatsword with Byakuen.
Seizing the split-second opening in the Sword Demon’s stance, Ren ducked into its guard and swung the Iron Magic Sword. But cutting it was a fantasy. The Iron Magic Sword was repelled with a jarring metallic clang, leaving not so much as a scratch on the armor.
Ren’s hands went numb from the impact. He clicked his tongue and frowned.
"As expected of a general...!"
He had never encountered anything that hard before. He couldn't even imagine how to wound it, but he hoped to exploit the fact that the creature was only recently awakened and weakened by the seal.
However, as the exchange continued, an uneasy feeling settled in his gut. With every clash of their blades, the pressure radiating from the Sword Demon intensified.
"Ren! It’s coming!"
The monster pressed its assault. When the Iron Magic Sword met the Crimson Greatsword again, the creature’s strength was visibly greater than before. It wasn't his imagination. The sword pressure itself seemed to be a form of magic, whipping up dust and obscuring his vision.
"Guh...!"
Every time those massive blades swung, a slicing whirlwind rose in their wake. A small cut opened on Ren's cheek, blood oozing out to match the deep crimson of the enemy's swords. But Ren didn't falter.
"This is... nothing!"
He dodged one approaching greatsword with a lithe movement and used the flat of the second blade as a stepping stone to leap higher. He used his Shield Magic Sword to deflect the third horizontal sweep.
Then came the fourth greatsword.
Ren swung his Iron Magic Sword down faster than the Sword Demon could raise its blade. But when the weapons collided, the sheer difference in raw power was overwhelming.
"Ugh...!"
"Ren?!"
Just as he had been countless times during training with his father, Roy, Ren was sent flying. Licia caught him mid-air, shielding him with her own body as they tumbled back into the ruins of the magic circle. Blood dripped from a scrape on the back of his hand.
"It’s getting stronger as the seal weakens," Licia said, her hands already glowing as she healed his injury.
The light of the magic circle beneath them was fading fast.
"When I was blown back... was its strength that incredible?" Ren asked.
"...Yes. I’ve never seen anything like it, even at the Lion Sanctum. Its speed and strength are beyond anything I could have imagined."
Despite its massive frame, the Sword Demon’s lunges were terrifyingly fast. Recognizing the threat, Licia conjured several layers of brilliant Walls of Light. But when a Crimson Greatsword descended, they shattered like fragile glass. They were only temporary barriers at best.
"We don't have the luxury of worrying about what happens after this."
Licia didn't flinch as her defenses crumbled. A new magic circle erupted beneath her feet, its light enveloping Ren and layering over their bodies. He felt a surge of power so profound it felt as though they had summoned their own potential from years into the future.
"You’ve... gotten even stronger?"
"Hehe. I’m working just as hard as you are. Of course I have."
The remnants of the Time Cage’s magic circle flickered in response to Licia’s presence. The brilliance of her Holy Magic actually surpassed the radiance of the seal itself. She was pouring everything she had into this.
The Walls of Light continued to fail. The force of the Sword Demon’s strikes gouged deep trenches into the stone pavement. Its overwhelming physical power was turning the world to dust.
"Just give me a moment more to prepare."
"Leave the front to me. I won't let it lay a finger on you, Licia."
"I know. I trust you."
Ren didn't need her to ask. He stepped in front of her, ready to intercept the next charge.
"...Hey, Ren."
Licia looked up at him.
"Do you ever think about how things might have been? If we were just at the festival in the Imperial Capital? We’d be fighting students our own age in the tournament. We might even be facing each other in the finals right now."
"I don't have any regrets."
"Hehe, I knew you’d say that."
"Though, I think I’d like to rename this the 'Hidden Festival' after all this."
They shared a small, tense smile. Who could possibly imagine that while the capital celebrated, a life-and-death struggle was unfolding behind the scenes?
"I suppose this is very 'us'," Ren remarked.
"You’re right. Fighting away from the spotlight... that’s definitely our style."
They spoke calmly, not because they thought these were their final moments, but because it was the only way they knew how to steady their hearts.
"...It’s far too late for this, but won't you please evacuate?"
"Don't be silly. It's much too late, and you know I wouldn't go anyway."
Licia gave him a wry smile and tightened her grip on Byakuen. Her hand did not tremble. She looked at the swirling sandstorm and the monstrosity within it without a hint of fear.
"Or are you saying you're unhappy with the person standing beside you?"
Ren swung his Iron Magic Sword in a wide arc, the sheer force of the strike dispersing the magical gale. As the dust cleared, Licia stepped past him and turned back with a beautiful, defiant smile. She reached out her hand to him. Waves of light began to flow from her fingertips, wrapping around Ren.
"Well?" she asked, her eyes teasing and challenging him.
"You’re just like always, Licia. Even in a spot like this."
"If I have to die, as long as you're by my side, I’m content. It just means I’ll be leaving the world a few decades earlier than planned."
"—I see."
Ren took her hand. A brilliant flash of light enveloped them both, and a fresh surge of power filled their limbs.
"Don't get mad at me if you get hurt," he warned.
"You're so tedious. You've taken a Saint’s hand, so you'd better be ready, Ren."
Most of the divine statues in the plaza had been worn away by time or shattered by the Demon King's general. But Licia stood smiling at Ren’s side. She had no doubts. As long as she was with him, they would be fine.
"Get ready to see just how much my Holy Magic has grown. You might find your Magic Swords have a bit more bite to them now, too."
The final Wall of Light shattered. Four greatswords descended—a crimson wall of despair.
Ren took a deep breath, stepped forward, and roared with everything he had.
"Hyaaaaaaaah!"
With a strength he hadn't been able to muster moments ago, he parried the massive blades. In that split second, a tiny opening appeared.
"Ren is strong, isn't he?"
Licia’s voice rang out with pride. She lunged into the Sword Demon’s guard, kicking off the ground and soaring toward its neck.
"But don't forget—the White Saint is here, too!"
It didn't matter how powerful the enemy was; they would carve out a victory bit by bit. The Sword Demon tried to retreat, but Byakuen, glowing with the intensity of her Holy Magic, pierced the shoulder of its black armor. Jet-black smoke hissed from the wound. The giant staggered, its armor losing its luster where the light had struck.
"Ren! Now—!"
"Right! Again—!"
But their momentum was suddenly cut short. The Sword Demon’s four greatswords began to pulse with a Crimson Wave that matched the color of the blades. It was a visible manifestation of absolute violence—a tide of mana so dense it choked the air.
It was as if the monster was telling them that their brief moment of hope had been nothing more than a delusion.