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“God’s gofer?”

I was speechless at the unexpected announcement. No matter how I looked at it, this had to be a joke. There was no such thing as a messenger to god, and even if there were, there would be no reason for one to take a spirit.

“Nonsense.”
“You’re free to think that, but while we’re here, how about you listen to what I have to say?”

The girl, Finis, tilted her head as she spoke. Though she smiled, her expression was hard to read, and her intentions remained unclear. The only thing I knew for certain was that she intended to steal the spirit.

Perhaps I needed to know why. After all, I didn’t know who was pulling the strings, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about why we were lured here. Even if I was curious, thinking about it could wait. The priority right now was securing the spirit. After all, she had arrived before us, and already had the spirit in her possession.

Whether she intended to fight or flee, it was always better to strike before she could act.

“We don’t feel like listening. Takatoshi, crush her with everything you’ve got.”

Takatoshi responded immediately to my order. It was as if he had been waiting for it all along. Throughout the war, he had become too eager for battle.

It made him more difficult to manage, but it was still a great advantage that he had gained the strength to defeat the queen of Nigel single-handedly. His nature was straightforward, which made him easier to control, even without relying on the ring.

Takatoshi leapt forward the moment I gave the command, slashing at Finis with the sword of light in his hand. His timing was so precise that even I, a non-combatant, could recognize how perfect it was. I thought for sure he had landed a clean blow on Finis, who hadn’t been able to react, but her figure suddenly wavered, and Takatoshi’s strike passed through harmlessly.

Takatoshi didn’t flinch. He launched a second and third strike, but Finis slipped away each time, as if vanishing into thin air. Given the state of things, it was time for the next move.

“Hikari, cast a spell with the intent to destroy the entire castle! Make sure you don’t hit the spirit!”
“Okay!”

With a brief reply, Hikari began chanting. In the meantime, I ordered Takatoshi to pull back and told Seira to shield me. A single attack from Hikari could destroy an entire town. With that range and power, it could still inflict serious damage.

Maybe even defeat the enemy.

When the chant ended, lightning came crashing down with a deafening roar, demolishing the castle. The thunderous sound shook my entire body. If Takatoshi hadn’t been warned ahead of time, and if I hadn’t ordered Hikari to aim carefully, he wouldn’t have had time to dodge.

Takatoshi nearly avoided the attack, but Finis didn’t even show she was thinking of moving. The floor beneath us cracked from the impact, but thanks to Seira’s protection, a fall from this height was hardly enough to kill me.

I had trained at least that much.

As we emerged from the collapsing ruins and gazed at what was left of Nigel Castle, Takatoshi spoke in a dissatisfied tone, “Did we do it?” He must have wanted to defeat her himself. Given what lay ahead, it might be a good thing that he was this ambitious.

Now, about the spirit. We still couldn’t assume the situation was resolved. The spirit may have been affected, but it hadn’t taken a direct hit. Just as I thought we needed to find it, something rattled from within the debris of the collapsed castle. A pale light floated near it.

“You sure went all out. I’m honestly surprised.”

Finis spoke with a calm, detached voice, as if nothing had happened at all. Her clothes weren’t even wrinkled. Had she taken the full force of that spell to come out unscathed? Or had she done something just before the impact to avoid damage?

Maybe she was acting. Making it look like she wasn’t hurt at all. Whatever the case, we had no choice but to watch and wait.

“Takatoshi!”

Takatoshi was already charging at Finis before I even finished calling his name. His speed now was on another level from just now. It had to be his Hero skill, multiplying his stats.

There were limits to how often he could use it, but once activated, he became unbeatable. The strongest existence.

The fastest strike by the strongest warrior.

“What?!”

I heard a voice. Or did I say it myself? I couldn’t tell anymore. The shock was overwhelming. That blow, one powerful enough to kill even a true Demon Lord, was stopped by her slender arm. The blade had been caught by her small hand.

Was Takatoshi holding back? It was possible, since he wasn’t acting under direct orders this time. But I knew better. Takatoshi wouldn’t be foolish enough to go easy in a moment like this. Besides, the expression on his face made it clear—he had used everything he had.

His eyes widened as he stared at the sword gripped in her hand.

The sword of light slowly began to darken, then it crumbled like sand. Enraged, Takatoshi lunged at Finis barehanded. I couldn’t follow the details with my eyes, but I knew one thing: it wasn’t working.

Likely not a single hit had landed on her. This couldn’t go on. If things continued like this, his time limit would be up. Just as I was about to order him to retreat, Takatoshi stopped moving.