There was a full two days before the Fighting God would appear.
At least, that was thanks to Atolphe and the others holding him off.
But they hadn't come back.
I didn't think the Immortal Demon Race would die so easily, but they had certainly taken damage severe enough that they couldn't pursue the Fighting God.
Regardless, thanks to them, my preparations were complete.
The Fighting God came straight for us.
He didn't bother hiding. He didn't hurry.
He appeared before us in full view, unhurried.
With Geese resting on his shoulder.
As if to say there was nothing we could do to stop him.
---
The opening engagement took place near the forest entrance.
I was standing atop a massive wall I'd built at the mouth of the forest.
About ten meters tall, roughly two kilometers long.
From atop the wall, built to shield the forest, I rained magic down on them.
Rock Cannons.
I'd fired a barrage, hoping to at least knock Geese off his shoulder.
I couldn't use Foresight against Badigadi.
Even Orsted didn't know the reason, so it was likely that Badigadi was some kind of demigod — or that something from his past had given him resistance against magical eyes.
The distance was great, but the golden armor stood out.
And besides, ever since I'd been born into this world, I'd been firing nothing but Rock Cannons.
I landed a hit.
One in ten found their mark.
But even from this distance, it was clear the damage wasn't significant.
A direct hit could punch a hole in the golden armor, but it repaired itself almost instantly.
It didn't even penetrate.
It didn't even slow him down — the Fighting God didn't even bother defending, just kept walking.
Distance reduced the power, of course.
I'd need to hit him from much closer range.
Incidentally, one shot did hit Geese.
It was hard to tell from this distance, but the moment it struck, he tumbled off the shoulder, so I was fairly certain it connected.
However, he got up as if nothing had happened, so the damage was negligible.
At least, Geese seemed to grow cautious. He climbed down from the Fighting God's shoulder and moved behind him.
If I could hit him from closer range, I might deal fatal damage to Geese.
But given that even a lightning strike had failed to take him down, I had to assume Geese himself had developed resistance to magic.
In the end, I'd failed to stall them at all.
Once the Fighting God had closed in enough, I used fire magic to burn away the outer face of the wall and retreated into the forest.
I had no intention of letting him get any closer than necessary.
"But up to here, it's going as planned."
The words slipped out as I confirmed the wall's destruction.
Going as planned.
I'd known this would happen.
Once the Fighting God entered the forest, I generated a thick fog that blanketed the entire area.
I combined that with mud pits of the same scale.
Reconnaissance and harassment were entrusted to the warriors of the Superd Tribe, led by Ruijerd.
Foresight didn't seem to work on him, but Ruijerd's eyes and senses could clearly track the Fighting God.
The results spoke for themselves.
According to reports, the Fighting God had gotten lost in the fog thanks to the Superd Tribe's guerrilla tactics, wandering aimlessly for several hours.
I wished he'd just keep wandering and head toward the forest exit.
While harboring that hope, I kept the fog and mud pits going over a wide area.
"The Fighting God has set a course."
But at some point, a report came from Ruijerd.
The Fighting God's footsteps had become straight and purposeful, aimed directly at the Dragon God's Valley.
It was probably Geese's doing.
Badigadi alone might have stumbled, but Geese seemed to know how to navigate a fog-shrouded forest.
Whether he could walk through it because he knew it, or whether he'd used some kind of magical tool or mana-infused item — either way, it made sense.
No, if it were a magical tool, he wouldn't have wandered for several hours.
He'd likely used some archaic method, taking his time in the thick fog and mud to determine his position and direction.
The thick fog, the mud pits, the Superd Tribe's guerrilla warfare.
All of it had bought us about three hours.
Three dead.
Superd warriors who'd gotten too close, taken out by the Fighting God.
But their deaths had meaning.
Because they'd held him back, the sun had set.
And at the same time, the Fighting God stopped moving.
It probably wasn't solar power, but he apparently didn't move at night.
But I wasn't going to stop.
I kept the fog and mud pits going at full force, and the guerrilla attacks continued.
I fired explosive rock barrages from long range.
I wasn't expecting damage.
I just wanted to keep him from sleeping. From resting.
It probably didn't do much against Badigadi, but it should matter to Geese.
With that thought, the first day ended.
---
On the second day, I continued doing the same things as the second half of day one, spending the full day luring the Fighting God toward the Dragon God's Valley.
Dawn of the third day.
I was positioned on the far side of the valley.
From the top of the wall, I stared into the dim forest.
Beside me, Ruijerd was straining his eyes just as I was.
The terrain of the Dragon God's Valley was extremely well-suited to defense.
The valley floor had to be over a kilometer deep.
I hadn't noticed it the first time we crossed, but the cliff on the Superd Village side was slightly higher.
It didn't matter much for spellcasting, but in basic combat, holding the high ground was always advantageous.
You could see better from above, and with gravity as it was, climbing up took more effort than going down.
With that in mind, I'd built a wall along the edge of the village-side cliff using Earth Magic.
Just under twenty meters tall — shorter than the one at the forest entrance, but since the valley was narrow only here, it posed no problem.
I'd left an opening where the bridge crossed, but the bridge had already been dropped and the gap sealed.
With this in place, there'd be no chance of him dashing across like some demon and jumping straight into close combat.
I wasn't underestimating the Fighting God's abilities, but this was the tallest and strongest barrier I could prepare in the available time.
If he could jump over this, I might as well give up.
But even if he couldn't jump it—
If he clung to the wall face, I could bombard him with Rock Cannons from directly above.
Magic could be nullified, but as this battle had shown, terrain changes weren't affected.
And from the opening engagement, I'd confirmed that Rock Cannons were effective enough.
If I hit Geese with a Rock Cannon while he clung to the wall, the powerless Geese would fall into the valley.
Even if that didn't work, I could generate a massive volume of water from directly above to make him slip and fall.
Geese was a useful man, but in a head-on clash, he was helpless.
And yet, combining Badigadi's straightforward power with Geese's cunning — that was a perfect partnership.
Luring them here, where the valley was narrow, carried risk.
But it was better than having them cross the valley somewhere I didn't know about and attacking from the flank.
On the valley rim, there were the warriors of the Superd Tribe alongside me, Cliff, and Ruijerd.
The remaining Superd warriors were stationed at equal intervals along positions where the wall didn't exist.
So that if by some chance he got past the wall, we'd detect it immediately.
Behind the wall, Eris and the others waited in reserve.
If he broke through here, it would become an all-out battle.
I'd bought some time.
What should have been a single day's journey in a straight line had taken three.
I'd bought two days.
Still no contact from Roxy.
The time I'd bought might have been wasted.
But I had no intention of changing my stance from one of delay.
From the battle at the port town, I already knew I couldn't win in a head-on confrontation.
I wanted to bet everything on my trump card.
"..."
Dawn arrived.
I had no idea when they'd make their move.
Superd warriors were watching the forest alongside me, but the enemy had camped outside their detection range.
I couldn't let my guard down.
"...Here he is!"
Just as that thought crossed my mind, Ruijerd called out.
I strained my eyes, peering hard into the darkened forest.
I saw it.
The size of a bean, but unmistakable — someone standing in the forest.
But it wasn't gold.
Someone draped in a whitish robe.
The look of that robe — I recognized it.
Geese.
It could have been someone else, but it looked like Geese.
"Who is that?"
"It's Geese."
Ruijerd, who'd been squinting, said with certainty.
From here to there was within range of the Third Eye.
Then it was almost certainly Geese.
He wasn't right at the valley's edge but rather deep in the forest, peering at us from the undergrowth.
It was still dark and hard to see, but it definitely looked like Geese.
And nearby, there was no gold.
Geese. Alone.
"Huh?"
Alone.
Was he scouting by himself?
He knew what kind of magic I could use, and he was coming alone?
Was he confident?
Or was Badigadi waiting close by?
No — the valley was at most a hundred meters wide. If he were in that kind of support range, Ruijerd would've spotted him.
In this situation, could I take him out with an attack?
"!"
The idea made my heart pound.
A Rock Cannon could reach.
Geese seemed to be watching us, but I didn't think he could see me.
It would hit.
A hundred meters.
Factoring in the height and positioning, it shouldn't even be a hundred and twenty.
If I aimed carefully, it was a guaranteed hit.
"...Should I do it?"
No, but what if it wasn't actually him?
What if it was just some adventurer in a white robe who'd gotten lost in the forest?
...No.
Yesterday, they'd barely been able to move at all through the fog and mud.
There was no way they could've gotten here.
Even if Geese had already been near the valley by yesterday, he should have triggered the Superd Tribe's radar.
Right now, I could kill Geese.
What should I do?
It was definitely a trap.
But what kind of trap?
I could attack right now. What cards did they have?
Was there something that would put them at an advantage by making me attack?
For example, what if the figure out there only looked like Geese but was actually someone else?
What if it was one of my companions or my family?
No.
Impossible.
There had only been two of them yesterday.
There was no way they'd suddenly brought someone along.
Wasn't this a chance?
Up until now, I'd mainly focused on buying time, avoiding aggressive attacks.
From the port town onward, the enemy had been on a winning streak.
They'd been traveling with the easygoing Badigadi — maybe they'd gotten cocky.
Was it possible they'd let their guard down and shown their face?
Attacking was extremely simple and low-risk.
Was there any reason not to?
It was possible they'd used some method to put someone I cared about up there.
But what would be the strategic purpose?
What would be the point of making me not attack?
...I was confused.
It felt like a trap.
But at the very least, I couldn't think of any downside to attacking.
"...Fine."
I'd fire.
It might be a trap, but just firing carried no downside.
If they countered it, they countered it.
"...I'll attack."
"Understood."
I concentrated mana in my right hand.
Accuracy over power and speed.
As always, Foresight couldn't pick him up, but I used Foresight to watch the surrounding terrain while toggling the mana of my foresight eye, predicting the landing point.
In case I missed, I made it an explosive Rock Cannon.
Just before firing, I hesitated for a split second.
But the instant after that hesitation, the Rock Cannon was released from my fingers, traveling in an almost perfectly straight line, sucked across the valley.
No sound.
The figure on the other side collapsed the instant the shot landed, like a puppet with its strings cut.
It didn't move after that.
I'd hit it.
There'd been feedback.
"...?"
Nothing happened. Only time passed.
The fallen figure didn't move.
In the morning light, the only sound was the rustling of the quiet forest.
Ten minutes.
Twenty minutes.
I didn't know the exact time, but it passed, steady and unremarkable.
And in that silence, a certain feeling sprouted inside me.
(I want to confirm.)
I wanted to confirm what I'd shot and what had fallen over there.
Whether it was Geese or something else.
Whether it was dead or alive.
Just a quick hop over, check, and come right back.
That should be fine, shouldn't it?
The thought arose.
But at the same time, I understood.
This was the trap.
Not getting me to attack — the trap was this feeling right now. This impulse.
If the figure over there was Geese himself—
On the verge of death, with a killing blow about to finish him.
If the figure over there was Sylphie, somehow captured while evading Ruijerd's senses, needing immediate rescue or she'd die.
If I went to check, the Fighting God would emerge, and I would die.
I must not go to check.
"..."
One hour passed.
I was restless.
Had I made an irrecoverable mistake?
Should I not have fired after all?
Was their plan to use the act of firing to keep me pinned here?
Were they crossing the valley at some other point right now?
No — other Superd warriors were keeping watch at various points along the valley.
I'd trust them.
Two hours passed.
Maybe I really should go check.
If I checked, I might be able to predict Geese's next move.
Was I just finding excuses to avoid checking?
Three hours passed.
No movement.
Various scenarios played through my head.
I was starting to tire of thinking.
If exhausting me like this was Geese's strategy, it was working.
Four hours passed.
It was a corpse.
It hadn't moved for four hours — it had to be a corpse.
But whose corpse?
Was it possible Geese was dead and Badigadi still didn't move?
If only Roxy were here now, she might have something constructive to say.
Cliff just shook his head with a troubled expression.
Six hours passed.
I ate a light lunch and kept watching the corpse.
It didn't move.
Eight hours passed.
It was past midday.
The sun was gradually sinking.
Maybe from keeping my nerves taut, my fatigue was mounting.
If, come nightfall, nothing had changed, I decided I'd go check.
Ten hours passed.
"Rudeus, here they come."
Ruijerd's words made me snap my attention to the forest.
There, emerging from the tree line, was armor gleaming gold.
As the golden armor drew near, the corpse stirred and sat up.
Then, as if exchanging words, the two figures leaned their heads together for a moment before turning toward us.
I could see them shrugging.
That gesture — unmistakably Geese.
They soon turned and disappeared back into the forest.
After that, silence fell once more.
"...Phew."
It had been a trap after all.
That was Geese.
Geese had used himself as bait to lure me in.
That had been close.
Either way, night would fall again soon.
I'd leave the watch to the Superd warriors and get some sleep.
I was exhausted.
They might come at sunset, but even a nap would be worth taking.
"I'll rest for a bit."
With that thought, I wrapped myself in a blanket.
The third day ended.
---
Night of the third day.
It seemed the enemy was also stumped by the wall.
They'd apparently concluded they couldn't simply jump over it.
And if they couldn't jump the wall, they had no way to protect Geese — my thinking had been on the mark.
I knew because shells had been launched from the other side of the valley.
At first, they were massive boulders.
They struck the wall at terrifying speeds, destroying parts of it.
After that, logs and rocks flew in rapid succession, but I'd been jolted awake by the thunderous impacts and had intercepted all of them, preventing serious damage.
They'd concluded they had to neutralize the wall before they could break through.
That must have driven their actions.
Then again, if you'd watched the Fighting God's previous battles, he could have forced a breakthrough solo if he'd been alone.
So it was Geese's influence after all.
If he jumped without carrying Geese, he could make it over.
But if there was any pursuit from behind, Geese would be dead.
There weren't any reinforcements coming from outside the forest, of course...
Atolphe might have revived and come chasing after them, though.
Maybe they were worried about that.
Even without that, leaving even one Superd warrior on the forest side would be enough.
...But they might have figured that out by now.
Even if I didn't go myself, a scout could handle it.
Before long, it would be entirely plausible for the Fighting God to jump across alone.
And... no reinforcements were coming.
---
Day four.
With the sunrise, the Fighting God arrived.
As I'd predicted, alone.
Like some demon god, he came in a running long jump.
And attached himself to the wall just below the top edge.
Exactly as predicted.
Yes — exactly as predicted.
The Fighting God's back was bare.
Geese wasn't there.
The instant I confirmed it, I fired magic across the valley.
A wide-area Flash Over.
The forest was swallowed in flames in an instant.
I didn't know how effective it was.
There was no time to check.
I kept the inferno burning at the edge of my vision while focusing on the enemy before me.
The Fighting God scaled the wall in the blink of an eye, using all six arms like a spider.
Cliff and I bombarded him from above with Rock Cannons and a torrent of water, but it was like pouring water on a red-hot stone.
The Fighting God raced up the wall face at overwhelming speed.
"Cliff! Fall back! Ruijerd, please!"
"Got it!"
Cliff and I were caught by Ruijerd and leapt from the wall.
Of course, I wasn't waiting for the moment the Fighting God crested the wall.
The instant we landed, I used magic to topple the wall.
The entire massive wall, toppled toward the valley.
It was pointless.
The slowly falling wall exploded outward as if dynamite had been used inside it.
Huge boulders flew through the air.
Through the debris, the golden armor was leaping.
Raining boulders.
I dealt with them using magic while never taking my eyes off the Fighting God.
He landed less than five meters from where I stood.
"Hm."
And slowly turned toward me.
"Then, let us begin anew."
He crossed his upper pair of arms, pointed at me with his middle pair, and rested his lower pair on his hips.
Badigadi looked at me.
"I am the Fighting God, Badigadi! Ally of the Human God and bearer of the Fighting God's name! Rudeus Greyrat — I challenge you to a duel!"
"Before that, I need to ask!"
The words erupted from me before I could think.
I kept in the back of my mind that he might tell me to shut up, but I shouted anyway.
"Your Majesty Badie! Why are you siding with the Human God? What does 'ally' mean? Were you not deceived by the Human God before?!"
"I was indeed deceived! I was told I would be saving Kishirika from being killed by Laplace, and so I donned this armor — only to end up killing both Laplace and Kishirika!"
"Then why—"
"The Human God came and apologized for what happened! On top of that, he asked for my cooperation! If that is the case, then I shall not refuse!"
The Human God apologized?
That was a lie.
I couldn't imagine that guy apologizing.
And even if he had, it was probably accompanied by a grin and something like "Haha, that was rough, wasn't it?"
"You'll be deceived again!"
"I care not! Even if I'm deceived, as long as he apologizes each time, I can forgive each time! I am immortal! Kishirika has been revived as well! If he has apologized, there is no grudge remaining! What more could anyone want?"
Far too generous.
He actually seemed to have a point.
I could see that, for minor lies, you could just forgive and move on.
But I couldn't write off the death of family as something trivial.
I wasn't an immortal demon. Our common sense was different.
"You wouldn't... consider switching sides?"
"Useless! I was never on the Dragon God's side to begin with. However — if you win this battle, I will consider it!"
Fight, and then get what you want.
That was similar to Atolphe.
Come to think of it, the first time I'd met this Demon King, it had been a duel too.
Back then, had I won or lost?
At the very least, the result had earned Badigadi's respect.
That was probably why he'd treated me well.
"...Understood. I accept the duel."
However, Badigadi had left something out of his declaration.
"We'll all take you on together."
Eris, Elinalise, Zanoba, and Doga emerged from the bushes behind me.
On top of that, Superd warriors who'd been stationed at other points along the valley began gathering one by one.
The all-out battle had begun.
---
In the front line as tanks — Doga and Zanoba.
Front-line attackers — Eris and Ruijerd.
Mid-line support — Elinalise and the Superd warrior squad.
Back-line attacker, me. Back-line healer, Cliff.
Standard formation.
Standard tactics.
Basically, Doga and Zanoba absorbed attacks while Eris and Ruijerd dealt damage.
Elinalise and the Superd warriors, who were outmatched in combat power, would sometimes circle behind and disrupt.
Everyone except Zanoba and Doga could be killed instantly by a single hit.
But by covering each other, we could avoid direct blows.
Even avoiding direct hits, there were broken bones, but those were all things I or Cliff could heal.
The only thing we had to avoid was instant death or being knocked unconscious.
Cliff focused entirely on healing.
I healed while firing Rock Cannons at strategic points — damaging the Fighting God or deflecting his attacks.
Badigadi didn't show up in Foresight.
Even so, by turning off the mana for Foresight's landscape projection and using the eye's predictive function to track my allies' movements, I could build predictions.
This was a first.
I'd never practiced this. Never trained for it.
But somehow, it worked.
With the sensation of fighting with one eye closed, I simply understood both the enemy's movements and my allies'.
It even felt smoother than usual.
Maybe it was because supporting allies was the focus.
Or maybe Badigadi's movements were straightforward.
At the very least, Badigadi didn't have Alek's level of technique.
Alek had fought almost unscathed even while surrounded by Eris, Ruijerd, and Shandor.
But Badigadi was different.
Partly due to the numerical advantage, but also because nearly every attack connected with his body.
Things were going well.
I could see the enemy's movements clearly. I could predict them.
But even so, no vision of victory emerged.
Badigadi was taking every hit.
But that was all.
Even when Eris slashed or Ruijerd pierced through, the damage was repaired immediately.
The golden armor writhed like a living thing, sealing wounds in an instant.
The recovery was probably happening inside the armor too.
From the outside, it looked like we were landing solid hits, but there was no actual damage.
And there was no fatigue.
Unlike Alek, who appeared to be coasting but was actually accumulating fatigue, Badigadi showed neither.
The longer the fight went on, the worse our situation became.
There was no path to victory.
But we could hold on.
As long as we maintained this formation — as long as no one suddenly collapsed — we could hold.
We could hold for a few hours longer than a straight clash.
Hold, and then... I didn't know what would happen, but we'd hold.
But in the end, it was too much.
The first to break were the Superd warriors.
They weren't weak by any means.
But compared to Ruijerd, they were several tiers below.
They hadn't fought a real battle in centuries.
Some of them probably hadn't even been born during the Laplace War.
Warriors who'd only ever hunted Transparent Wolves since birth couldn't keep up against the Fighting God.
Like teeth breaking off a comb, they fell one by one, incapacitated.
Some clearly dead. Some critically wounded but still fighting. Some unidentifiable.
The ten-plus warriors who'd started had been reduced to three.
The next to fall was Elinalise.
She wasn't weak either.
Technically, she ranked among the top adventurers.
She could fight in the front line of an S-rank dungeon.
But "among adventurers" was the key phrase.
Her specialty was expert shield work — redirecting attacks and managing aggro by accumulating small amounts of damage.
But she no longer had her trusted shield.
She'd been using a spare I'd made with Earth Magic, but Badigadi's attacks easily overwhelmed her technique.
Elinalise went flying, slamming into a massive tree and losing consciousness.
That was where it started to collapse.
When Elinalise went down, Cliff was distracted for a moment.
In that instant, he was caught in the Fighting God's charge.
Cliff was flung aside like he'd been hit by a truck, vanishing into the undergrowth.
Dead or critically wounded — I couldn't tell, but he wasn't coming back.
He'd definitely lost consciousness.
Once Cliff was out, Zanoba and Doga, who'd been receiving healing magic from him, could no longer hold.
They'd only been taking hits at a fraction of the normal rate, thanks to my Rock Cannon support and Elinalise's backup.
But now they were taking everything.
My healing magic kept them going a little longer, but that was it.
Each time they got knocked away, I had to sprint after them, cast healing, and send them back out — impossible for one person alone.
If I'd been wearing the Magic Armor Type Two Modified, maybe I could've managed.
The timing grew increasingly off, and eventually both were sent flying at the same time.
And at that moment, Eris was targeted — Ruijerd shielded her, and Ruijerd went down.
I hurried to heal Doga and rushed to Zanoba's side, but it was too late.
The battle line was unmistakably collapsing.
Doga was blown away, and while I was healing Zanoba, I saw it — Eris taking a direct hit from the Fighting God's fist.
She tumbled through the air, spitting blood.
That was a fatal wound. If I didn't heal her immediately, she wouldn't make it — my brain screamed it.
But I was too slow.
The Fighting God was already on me and Zanoba.
"GRAAAAH!"
Zanoba roared.
He caught the Fighting God's upper-right fist. Then the upper-left fist.
The lower-right fist struck his abdomen, bending him in half.
The middle-left fist hit his temple, sending him flying sideways.
And then the Fighting God was upon me.
By the time I realized the danger, it was too late.
I released a shock wave from my right hand and tried to use the recoil to dodge back, but I'd already been hit.
The middle-right fist.
I tried to guard with my arm in a split second, but it was futile.
I felt like my upper body was about to be torn apart as I was sent flying.
The fact that I didn't lose consciousness — was that lucky?
Or was it unfortunate?
Every bone from my shoulder to my ribs felt shattered.
My spine might have been broken too. I couldn't feel my lower body.
I couldn't move.
The impact was so massive that I couldn't even feel pain.
"...Hah... hah..."
I immediately cast healing magic and forced myself up.
Before me lay a scene from hell.
Not a single person was standing.
The moment I'd gone down, the Fighting God had wiped out the remaining Superd warriors.
Total annihilation.
I'd miscalculated when to retreat.
Now I couldn't even fall back.
Looking back, I should have retreated the instant Elinalise went down.
I should have judged that we couldn't hold any longer and pulled back to the Superd Village.
And entrusted what came next to Orsted.
Regretting it now was too late.
The Fighting God stood before me, the last one left standing.
"...Do you have any last words?"
"Honestly, I'd like to beg for my life."
"I can hear you, but I'm unlikely to grant it. The Human God wants your life."
If I could just find an opening — even to heal Eris alone...
My battered brain churned through ideas, but there was no time to be had.
There had to be something. A way.
A way to draw Badigadi's attention and reach Eris — even for just five minutes, no, three.
Even if Cliff regained consciousness and healed someone instead.
Somehow. Anything. Was there nothing?
"In that case, I don't need my life. But in exchange... could you spare my family?"
"Oh? Your family?"
"You may not know this, Your Majesty, but I have children now. Four of them, all healthy."
"Children are a fine thing. I too hope to have some with Kishirika someday."
Badigadi nodded.
"Very well. But know that I will show no mercy to those who come at me."
"Of course."
The Human God would come after my children once I was dead.
But Badigadi would not take part.
That much, at least, was enough.
It might mean nothing in the end...
But it was the last thing I could do.
"Fuhahahaha! HaHAHAHAHAHA!"
Badigadi laughed heartily and raised his fist.
"Then, farewell."
At his words, I raised both hands forward.
At the very least, I'd hit him with everything I had in a final Rock Cannon—
"Get down!"
I hit the ground on all fours like a dog.
Something passed over me — even lower than me — grazing the edge of my vision.
That something shot through the Fighting God's legs and stopped on the other side.
Dark skin, beast ears, a cat-like tail — a black wolf.
The Fighting God's knee was slashed open, and he faltered for just an instant.
But only an instant.
The armor repaired itself immediately, and the fist came crashing down as if nothing had happened.
And right at that moment, straddling over me, a long skirt whipped past.
"Ugh!"
The fist came down, and the Fighting God vanished from my field of view.
I felt something massive blow past me, slightly behind and into the air.
A moment later, a deep thud as something landed.
What had happened?
All I saw was the inside of a long skirt — and, because it had straddled me, a glimpse of light-blue underwear.
The owner of that underwear looked vaguely familiar... or was she?
But the other one — I knew her.
No mistaking those movements. Sand-colored hair. Brown skin.
A swaying tail. Beast ears.
"Gelineune!"
Which meant the black-haired one was Isolte!
Water Empress Isolte!
Gelineune and Isolte — the one traveling with them—
"Sylphie!"
Sylphie darted across the battlefield, quick as a mouse.
She simply approached each fallen person and laid a hand on them.
That was all it took, and their wounds vanished in an instant.
She healed Doga and Zanoba in a flash.
Chantless healing magic.
Looking over, I saw Eris and Ruijerd emerging from the undergrowth, heading back this way.
The battle line had been re-formed without my realizing it.
Isolte as the main shield. Doga and Zanoba as secondary shields.
Eris, Gelineune, and Ruijerd as attackers.
And Sylphie had joined as a healer with her chantless healing magic.
The line was restored.
The nightmare was over.
"Rudy! We'll hold the line here! Head to the village! Roxy's waiting!"
"! Got it!"
I took off running toward the Superd Village.
At full speed.
The hardest I'd ever run in my life.
Sylphie had come.
Even after I'd dropped the valley bridge, she'd come.
That meant she'd approached from the village side.
Which meant the card I'd played had finally paid off.
I vaulted over tree roots, crashed through the trees, and reached the Superd Village.
The sight that greeted me filled me with elation.
I could see it.
The moment I burst into the village, I saw what was placed at the far end.
The teleportation circle I'd drawn in advance at the back of the village.
And beside it, what I'd been waiting for.
I kept running.
At full speed.
"Brother!"
"Grand Master!"
"Oh, big bro—"
I caught glimpses of Norn, Julie, and Aisha along the way, but I didn't stop.
I ran, single-mindedly, until I reached it.
Near the collapsed teleportation circle, a single girl sat slumped on the ground.
"Roxy!"
"...Rudy."
When I called out to her, she looked up.
Dark circles ringed her eyes.
Mana exhaustion? Or days without sleep?
"I'm sorry. I made a mistake in the procedure. I dug it up and raised it before working on the teleportation circle. If I'd drawn the circle first and then had you dig it up, it wouldn't have taken this long..."
"It's fine! It's okay! We made it in time!"
Behind her sat what I'd been after.
It was a massive suit of armor.
Three meters tall.
Navy blue.
A gatling gun in the right hand. A shotgun in the left.
And at the tip of each fist, a magic sword imbued with armor-penetrating effects.
A squat, sumo-wrestler-like suit of armor, lying face down.
From the outside, it didn't look that different from the Type One.
But this wasn't the Type One.
This was what I'd prepared for exactly this kind of situation — the genuine trump card.
By consuming several times the mana of its predecessors, it dramatically increased both mobility and armor.
The concept was the reverse of the Type Three, and so the name I'd given it was—
"The Magic Armor Type Zero."
My ace in the hole.
My trump card.
If I couldn't win with this... No, it wasn't even about whether I could win.
I knew the odds were slim.
"Roxy! I'm heading out!"
"Rudy! Good luck!"
I climbed into the Type Zero.
The sensation of massive amounts of mana being drained made me dizzy as I powered it up.
Then I spotted Orsted in the village center.
He was holding a single enormous sword.
"Rudeus! Take this!"
Orsted tossed the colossal blade to me with ease.
I caught it in a rush.
For a three-meter suit of armor, it was just the right size — a massive sword.
The King Dragon Sword, Kaleck.
Even for someone as mediocre with a sword as me, the sheer power I felt just holding it was staggering.
"Lord Orsted! I'm heading out!"
Orsted didn't answer.
He simply nodded.
I drove the Type Zero at full power and raced back to the battlefield.