At Hinata's signal,
From the third-floor window, he looked down at the school grounds below, mapping out an escape route in his mind.
For Fritz, Hinata's orders were absolute—he had no intention of defying them. Her judgment was always correct, and outside of the previous Demon Lord subjugation battle, she had never failed.
Even then, one could argue she had simply been up against an overwhelmingly superior opponent.
So this time too, following orders and evacuating with the children should have been the right call.
Fritz understood perfectly well that prioritizing the safe extraction of the children and the intelligence they carried was paramount, and he also knew that he and the children would only become a burden to Hinata.
And yet, a nagging unease gripped him—the sense that blindly obeying orders without understanding the reason was dangerous. Perhaps it was simply his instincts warning him.
In the end, that instinct did end up contributing to the successful escape of Fritz and the children, but—
Hinata used her spatial awareness to take in the entire battlefield at a glance.
Five people by the window, including Fritz—her protectees, who she absolutely could not allow to get caught in the crossfire.
Ahead of her stood Yuuki, and from the corridor door, the "Hero" was striding leisurely toward the chair.
The Hero's abilities were at least equal to her own, if not superior.
The Hero was the "dragonkind" who had sealed away the Tempest Dragon Veldora during the assault on the Monster Nation—a feat for which they were famously known.
Could she actually defeat that dragon? According to Hinata's calculations, her chances of besting the Tempest Dragon Veldora were slim.
If that was the case, the odds of winning were nearly zero. However, the Hero had only recently awoken from decades of slumber and was likely not in peak condition. Furthermore, under Yuuki's control, there was a chance the Hero couldn't fight at full power.
Stalling, however, was feasible. That was the conclusion Hinata had reached.
Hinata sheathed her blade and assumed an iai stance. Then, with a godspeed draw, she launched an attack without moving from her spot.
"Astral Bind Slash!"
Hidden within the flash of her iai draw—she had converted the blade into photons, transforming it into countless ethereal blades. A spiritual binding attack.
The countless photon-converted blades carried the same effect as a talisman.
It was a technique that bound not the Physical Body, but the Astral Body—the vessel of the soul—simultaneously immobilizing the target with the shockwave from her godspeed draw. One of Hinata's hidden trump cards.
The sword, part of her Holy Spirit Armament, was a weapon born from the materialization of holy spirit power. As such, its edge glowed brilliantly as it reformed itself each time it was broken.
By substituting talismans and physical mediums through photon conversion, she could act without letting the opponent read her tactics—a significant advantage in combat between masters.
But...
"Oh my!"
"...!"
With a playful exclamation, and not the slightest hint of panic in his response—
Yuuki deflected the shockwave with the short blade in his hand.
The Twin Serpent Tanto—the only Legendary-class weapon in Yuuki's possession.
This weapon could extend and retract freely: usable as a knife, or stretched out like a whip, enabling a wide variety of shape transformations.
But what truly earned this weapon its Legendary-class rating was its damage absorption ability. Until a set threshold was reached, it could nullify all incoming attacks. However, once its capacity was filled, it couldn't be used again for an entire week.
This time, Yuuki used its ability while remaining seated. Without so much as moving, he absorbed every last bit of the shockwave.
"Oh dear? I can't move anymore. Well then, I'll leave the fighting to you."
He had nullified the shockwave itself, but one of the blade fragments had pierced through his shadow, activating the binding effect on Yuuki.
Yet he showed no sign of panic, remaining seated in his chair and making a show of being immobilized while delegating the fight with Hinata to the Hero.
His demeanor was blatantly unnatural—as though he had deliberately positioned himself to watch from the start.
Meanwhile, the Hero—
Against what should have been a completely new attack from Hinata, the Hero defended with breathtaking swordsmanship, intercepting every single blade fragment.
His beautiful expression didn't change in the slightest, not a trace of anxiety or contempt on his face.
"Understood. I'll have to kill you, but is that alright?"
The Hero accepted Yuuki's request in a flat, emotionless tone.
And then, facing Hinata, he posed the question as though it were already a foregone conclusion.
"Sure. Hinata won't become a subordinate, so I suppose there's no other choice, right?"
"Understood. Then I'll kill you in a way that minimizes your suffering."
A voice stripped of all emotion.
Their exchange was almost rehearsed, as if they had coordinated beforehand.
It was like a cold-blooded killing machine. No—not even that. There was no coldness, no cruelty to speak of. Just a doll carrying out orders.
Hinata watched this and thought.
She, too, had once defeated enemies without inflection, without emotion. She must have been much like the Hero standing before her now.
Hinata leveled her sword in a middle guard and faced the Hero. Behind her, she prayed that Fritz and the others would hurry and escape.
When Yuuki had first appeared, she had detected a barrier enveloping the school. It likely possessed anti-teleportation properties, but once outside the school grounds, escape via teleportation magic should be possible.
At worst, they could flee to the adjacent Holy Church and use a Magic Circle to teleport all the way to headquarters.
Even with a barrier over the school, if they charged beyond its perimeter, escape routes existed. That was precisely why she needed them to act quickly—
However, the truth was there was no time for that.
Fritz hadn't noticed, but down in the school grounds,
Even if delivery personnel spotted something, they would be dealt with easily. In other words, the escape route through the school grounds was completely sealed.
Fritz hadn't realized this, but trusting his instincts, he had hesitated to act.
It was only a matter of seconds.
And yet, in that span of less than a minute, everything would be decided.
Hinata focused every shred of her consciousness on the Hero.
There was no point worrying about Fritz and the others now. What she had to do was eliminate the enemy before her and buy time.
Ignoring Yuuki's theatrical complaints about being unable to move, Hinata clashed with the Hero.
Innate talent, and relentless effort.
Hinata had always prided herself on abilities that bordered on genius, and she had indeed been undefeated—until her loss to Rimuru.
That applied not only to her swordsmanship, but to her magic as well.
"Wind Blade!"
Without chanting, she activated her magic. Wind blades assaulted the Hero from all directions as Hinata's own sword closed in on him. The Hero ignored the wind blades entirely, meeting Hinata's sword with his own.
Countless wind blades struck the Hero's body as if being drawn in, but every last one dissolved into particles of light and reverted into Magicules. The Hero's Unique Skill, "Absolute Defense," had completely blocked every attack.
Hinata unleashed wave after wave of magic, but none of it made it past the Hero's Absolute Defense. And every single one of her sword strikes was deflected, as though the Hero had predicted them all.
Most critically—
The Hero's blade flashed, and it cut through Hinata's sword.
This was the third time. Whether it was the gap in their weapons' quality or the gap in their skill—each time, the Hero shattered Hinata's blade with ease.
Though the edge reformed every time it broke, the disparity was becoming painfully obvious.
According to what she'd heard, the Hero possessed the Unique Skill "Absolute Severance," yet there was no indication he was even using it—and still her sword couldn't withstand his.
Even so, Hinata didn't panic.
The Hero surpassed her in swordsmanship. Her magic was ineffective.
But she refused to give up.
She methodically did everything within her power. And waited for a chance.
The "egg of the Hero" that had taken root within her strengthened her resolve.
Above all, she had people to protect, and a place to return to.
Little by little, Hinata's sword speed increased. Her focus sharpened, and like cracks forming in an eggshell—
She surged upward toward the heights where the Hero stood.
"I will not lose! Not even if my opponent is an invincible Hero!
I will defeat you and move forward! Take this—Melt Slash!!"
Hinata challenged the Hero with her fastest and most powerful technique.
No tricks. No tricks at all.
Her heart pounded with an exhilaration she had never felt before.
And through these fleeting exchanges of blows, she could feel her own power growing—her sword now able to meet the Hero's blade.
As if shattering the shell of her own egg, that strike was the strongest blow Hinata had—her entire body and soul poured into it.
Fritz couldn't believe his eyes.
Hinata, overwhelming.
Hinata, reigning supreme.
For Fritz, Hinata was his aspiration—the embodiment of justice.
She had been defeated by Demon Lord Rimuru, but since then, he knew she had grown even stronger than before.
And now, against a Hero who surpassed even that version of her, Hinata's sword speed was beginning to keep pace—to the point where Fritz could no longer follow the speed of their blades.
As expected of Hinata-san! The very instant he thought that, it happened.
"—Melt Slash!!"
Hinata's attack was unleashed, surging toward the Hero.
The next instant.
"A Hero is someone who doesn't lose. That's what makes them a 'Hero.' An irrational existence—that's what a Hero is."
Yuuki's murmuring voice reached Fritz's ears.
Like an enlightened sage stating nothing more than a plain fact.
"What a shame. In the end, you couldn't defeat me, Hinata. I wonder if the result would have been different with Rimuru-san?"
Yuuki's voice drifted from somewhere far away, but Fritz wasn't paying attention.
Fritz couldn't process what he was seeing.
Before his eyes, Hinata—her heart pierced by a blade—was coughing up blood and collapsing.
He could see it happening, yet his brain refused to accept it.
"U-UWAAAAAAAAAH!!"
He didn't even realize that scream was coming from his own throat.
But regardless of Fritz's anguish, reality was unshaken and the situation continued to move forward.
Fritz would not understand it all until a little later.
The certainty of victory—immediately followed by the devastating reality that struck Hinata.
Hinata's ultimate technique and the Hero's had overlapped. The Hero's technique was identical to hers in nature, yet surpassing it in both speed and power.
Melt Slash.
The Hero had unleashed the exact same technique as Hinata—and used it as a counter to her own.
And its speed, despite being launched second, caught up to Hinata's blade. It shattered her sword, and the residual energy split even dimensions itself.
With the Hero's Unique Skill, "Absolute Severance," activated, his technique exceeded hers in every conceivable way.
And the return strike pierced through Hinata's heart without hesitation.
(—Is this where it ends...? No, not yet. There are still things I must do!)
A Hero was one whose spirit could not be broken.
Hinata refused to give up and tried to rise.
But—
—No, everything is going according to plan.
The Ultra Recovery Magic she attempted to activate didn't trigger.
She heard a voice—distant, like a hallucination.
A girl's voice, as though weeping.
(Ah, I can still fight. At the very least, I can buy enough time for the children, for Fritz to escape...)
—Yes, that will be fine. The children will manage to escape safely.
(Really? Then at least I can rest easy for the moment...)
For some reason, those baseless words brought her comfort, and Hinata collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood.
He could see it, yet Fritz's brain refused to accept it.
"U-UWAAAAAAAAAH!!"
Fritz screamed and rushed to her side, catching Hinata in his arms.
Feeling his warmth, Hinata was aware of the cold rapidly enveloping her, her senses fading and growing thin, as though going numb.
Ah, I won't make it, she realized. And so—
"Fritz, this is an order. The Hero's attack has torn open space itself.
Right now, teleportation magic should work...
Escape this place immediately..."
Desperately pulling herself back from the brink of unconsciousness, Hinata delivered her words in one breath.
Hinata wouldn't survive. But Fritz and the children could escape.
Whether it was real or a hallucination, the voice that had spoken to her seemed to have been right.
"But...!"
"This is an order, Fritz...
Do you want me to have died... for nothing?"
Watching this exchange, the children—Kenya—
"URRAAAAH!
Melt Slash!!"
A blinding light erupted from Kenya's hand, condensing into a single blade.
And with a mighty swing, Kenya unleashed a crude imitation of Hinata's technique.
A dazzling flash of light.
The strike was caught by the Hero's sword, but it succeeded in slicing through several strands of his hair, sending them scattering through the air.
At the same moment, Alice moved.
As if connected by perfect heart-to-heart communion, their coordination was flawless—Alice generated a Spatial Interference Magic Circle, and everyone was enveloped by its light.
Hinata, cradled in Fritz's arms. Kenya, who had just struck the Hero.
The entire sequence of events unfolded in an instant.
...
...
...
When the light of Alice's Spatial Interference Magic Circle faded, only two people remained.
Yuuki and the nameless Hero.
On the classroom floor, a pool of still-wet, bright-red blood served as vivid proof that what had just occurred was real.
"Well, well. After all that flag-planting, they actually got away, huh?"
Yuuki murmured, but the Hero offered no reply.
Without so much as clouding his expression—as though nothing had happened.
"But hey, this was all part of the plan, right? So it's over. Let's head home."
Yuuki showed no particular concern, no sign of regret at letting them slip away.
He sent word to Kagali, who was presumably waiting in the school grounds below, and then returned to Free Guild headquarters as if nothing had happened.
The nameless Hero briefly turned his gaze toward the repaired spatial rift.
In those irises devoid of irises, a light of will flickered. His aura remained the same, yet an entirely different expression began to surface on his face.
"So... it's finally begun..."
There was no one to hear that cryptic murmur.
The Hero turned on his heel and began walking after Yuuki.
There was no longer any hesitation in his stride—the doll-like presence from before had completely vanished.
Behind him, only a silent pool of blood remained.
— — —
She heard a voice calling to her.
Hinata strained to listen, drawing back her fading consciousness.
"—Don't leave us behind! Hinata-san!!"
Oh, how sorrowful they sound...
Nicolaus, I'm sorry. Fritz, too...
She could no longer see. She could only judge by the desperation in his voice that this was the case.
Had she lived to the fullest?
—No, there are still things left undone. I did find a place to return to, after all.
Do you have regrets?
—No, I don't. If I had regrets, it would be a disservice to all those I've sacrificed.
Do you still want to live?
—I wonder? I don't want to die, that much is certain. But it doesn't seem possible.
Her heart had been destroyed, and her magic was gone.
She could feel the grief of Nicolaus, of Fritz, and of the Holy Knights who had followed her.
But there was nothing more Hinata could do.
Come to think of it, hadn't her teacher warned her? Had going to rescue the children been her mistake?
—No, that was the right thing to do. I can say that with pride.
In the end, she had been cautious, but the opponent had simply surpassed her.
Her Physical Body had ceased its heartbeat and was no longer performing any biological functions.
Her brainwaves had stopped—she was a complete corpse. In this state, even Nicolaus's Revival Magic would be unable to bring her back.
Revival was revival in name only—it was not powerful enough to overcome this.
But hearing their voices one last time brought Hinata a measure of peace. No—she told herself she had to be at peace.
There were still things left undone, and she wished with all her heart to help those in need, but someone would carry on her will.
She was fortunate.
She was not dying with her mistakes uncorrected, her mind still under someone's manipulation.
At the very least, she wished to see her teacher one last time.
And then, at the very edge of her soul, as her will was about to vanish—
I'm sorry. Everything is going according to plan. Your soul will be warmed within me.
Eventually, the "egg of the Hero" dwelling within your soul will also hatch.
—Who are you?
I am Chloe.
—Chloe? The fifth child?
Yes. With the Hero's awakening, no one remained who could perceive me.
You will merge with me, and in time, become the true Hero.
Born from that union will be the nameless Hero.
Everything is predetermined.
Your defeat. And your death.
—Somehow, that's rather infuriating.
I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do about it.
Once I merge with you and am given form, I will be sent flying into the past.
—Even the future is decided?
No. I don't know how much of it is set in stone.
All I know is this: at this very moment, the true Hero will awaken.
When I fly into the past, the duplicate Hero—ceasing to exist—will be freed from all its restrictions.
The being born from that will be the fusion of you and me, though one could also call it an entirely separate person.
Even so, will you come with me? No—I want you to come.
—I see. I could refuse, couldn't I? But refusing isn't possible.
A Hero is one whose spirit cannot be broken.
Refusing here would be impossible given Hinata's character, and it would mean the destruction of every possibility.
More than anything, she might be able to save
She knew it was impossible—the odds, even when calculated with her Unique Skill "Mathematician," were infinitesimal.
And yet, she could not help but wish.
To give up was to die, and her life had been sustained by all of them...
Hinata accepted the offer.
Thank you, the girl Chloe whispered softly, and the souls of Hinata and Chloe merged as one, leaping beyond the wall of time.
To the distant past.
And now, the endless journey of the girl called Chloe and Hinata was about to begin.
— — —
Nicolaus confirmed Hinata's death and broke down in anguish.
No matter how many times he attempted Revival Magic, there was no response.
Holding her cold, lifeless body close in an attempt to warm it, Nicolaus desperately continued casting.
Before long, Fritz restrained him in a headlock, but Nicolaus broke free.
He would kill anyone who tried to stop him—that was what he was thinking.
And then, as if to separate the two of them—
"Please stop, Lord Nicolaus. Lady Hinata has passed away."
Calmly, yet cruelly, it was Leonard—the newly appointed leader of the Holy Knights—who delivered those words.
"Don't be ridiculous... This is Lady Hinata! There's no way Lady Hinata could be dead!!"
Nicolaus screamed.
No one answered him. His words echoed emptily into the air.
Nicolaus understood. He simply couldn't bring himself to accept it.
In this world of magic, in this sacred place where one prayed for divine miracles.
On that day, the death of the former Holy Knight Commander
This was, as they would later say, where it all began.
Hinata's death served as the catalyst that ushered the world into an era of turmoil.
---
*Author's note: I've been pointed out in the past that "eggs hatch," not "eclose." However, the expression used in the story is 羽化 (eclosion), so please bear with my choice to keep it as is.*