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It was a strange feeling. She didn’t feel like she had changed in any dramatic way. It didn’t make her feel more exhilarated. She even thought that nothing had really changed.

But…she could see them. Until now, her eyes had been having difficulty following Terra’s movements as well as Castor’s battle. The Three Winged Knights were now clearly visible as they were beaten down and moved to reposition themselves in mid-air. Furthermore, Sol, who had flown through the frontline to attack and stop Parthenos, was now completely in her field of vision.

“I won’t let you!”

She flapped her wings and came in between them, blocking Sol’s fist with La Pucelle. She felt a strong impact, but it didn’t feel as strong as she had expected. She should have been unable to stop the blow and been easily blown away instead. That was what she thought, but despite being pushed back, she had successfully stopped Sol’s fist.

“Wh—What?”

There was a look of astonishment on Sol’s face, and the unexpected result caused him to ease his exertion. At that moment, Terra flew in from the side and sliced off Sol’s forearm with his sword. However, Sol immediately regenerated the wound and counterattacked Terra.

A wall of light appeared between them and his fist bounced off it. Sol wasn’t the only one surprised at this scene. Terra was shocked as well. Even if someone was at Level 1000 and launched a surprise attack, it wouldn’t be easy to completely block Sol’s attack. At least, it would be impossible for an ordinary Level 1000 character.

If anyone could perform such a feat, it would be someone like Ruphas, Megrez, or Merak, who had stepped beyond the realm of Level 1000. In other words, it was the realm of those who were dissatisfied with Level 1000 and strengthened themselves beyond their limits. There was no reason for Virgo, who had just inherited her power, to be at that level. Even Parthenos, who had given her the power, wasn’t in that realm, so why was this happening?

“Yah—!”

“What’s…with this person!?”

It would be a bit inappropriate to call it a flying leap.

As if she had unleashed her potential which had been suppressed until now, Virgo pursued Sol with her sword. Even so, Sol was still stronger, especially when it came to melee combat.

Virgo had certainly become stronger, but she still lacked combat experience. Even if her level had exceeded that of her predecessor, her expertise was still different. She couldn’t use skills continuously at the cheat-like speed that Parthenos could. She also couldn’t instantly select the optimal skills to use like Parthenos could. But Terra was here, as well as Castor and the Three Winged Knights.

There was a mysterious awakening that accompanied Virgo’s inheritance of power. In addition, there was also a difference in numbers. Even for Sol, this wasn’t easy to deal with, but he still laughed fearlessly.

This…This is the battle I wanted. A worthy struggle is what I desired.

The odds were now fifty-fifty. It was finally even at this point. Sol’s power was so great that it was reminiscent of Ruphas. Terra looked grim as he realized this fact. Meanwhile, Sol was laughing happily. Sol’s knife-hand strike collided with Terra’s blade, creating sparks. Both of them then vanished at the same time.

—Above!

When Luna shifted her line of sight, Sol and Terra had already crossed their fist and sword, vanishing immediately after. When she thought they would appear on the left, they had already shown up on the right. Trees fell from the resulting shockwaves. When the dust rose up for a moment, she thought Terra had landed, but it was Sol who had crashed into the rocks.

Luna could only catch up with the afterimages left behind after the fight, but Virgo could just barely follow the actual fight. Naturally, the Three Winged Knights and Castor could as well.

“Demonic Slash!”

Terra unleashed the advanced skill Demonic Slash and a blue sword pressure flew towards Sol. Facing an attack that could cut apart a mountain, Sol clenched his fist.

“!”

The grappler skill Smash was a simple but powerful skill that would always deal a critical hit. His fist was slightly torn by the sword pressure, but the fist pressure had canceled out the blue slash. In that instant, Terra gripped his sword with both hands and swung it down from above with all his might.

As the name might imply, Meteor Rush was among the most powerful sword master skills and could only be used once every twenty-four hours. It released an intimidating feeling as if it was a meteor destroying everything on the ground.

At the same time, Sol clenched his fist and swung upwards towards the sky. This was Buster Impact, a skill which could also only be used once every twenty-four hours. It had a similar effect. It was basically a grappler’s version of Meteor Rush.

Skills that had reached the maximum limit in terms of damage were not so useful at high levels. Instead, continuous damage was generally preferred to single burst damage, even if the former was less powerful. Nevertheless, these skills were powerful enough that even a Level 100 character who had mastered them could deal damage that was five digits. Their destructive power was immeasurable.

Explosions resounded as the shockwaves spread across the continent, centering on Alfheim. The sudden shockwaves caused tragedies as old buildings in nearby villages collapsed. Even the people who were further away were blown away by the winds.

The two of them in the center of the vortex were blown away at the same time. Sol rebounded off the ground and rolled at the same time before landing. Terra, who was also blown away, thrusted his sword into the ground and managed to stop his body after slashing a straight line on the ground.

“Not bad, son of the Moon Ouroboros. I didn’t think this would be so much fun. Does your power stem from your anger towards me for deceiving you?”

“No. I was deceived because of my immaturity. I’m ashamed of my incompetence. I don’t hate you for it.”

The distance between them widened and they returned to staring at each other. Sol adjusted his breathing as he spoke and Terra answered honestly. However, they remained wary of each other and left no openings.

“I fight to protect my people. I use my sword to protect their future.”

“I see. That’s the model answer of a knight. But have you forgotten the true nature of the people whom you’re trying to protect? It’s all a dream…They’re simply arcane magic of the Goddess, dolls in the shape of humanoids. Is there any value in their future? Don’t you think that disappearing according to the roles they were given would be better for the world?”

Sol sneered as he questioned Terra’s justice and his reason to fight, trying to cause him to waver. However, Terra did not waver. His sword was not swayed by his words in any way.

“You’re right, but we demons can laugh like humanoids. We can cry like them too. We can share our joy and love with others. Just because we were created by magic doesn’t mean we can simply be unilaterally erased.”

“But you people are the invaders of the humanoids. Did you forget the sins you have committed in the past?”

“I remember and I will never forget. I killed many people in order to protect my people. Certainly, I’m a sinner from the humanoids’ perspective. But are the demons who never went to the battlefield sinners too? Are those who were forced to dirty their hands in order to survive evil? —If that’s what you hoped for, do those people who were forced to do so also have to be judged?”

As he spoke, Terra recalled all those people whom he had killed. The past, in which he had cut down and killed the brave humanoid warriors who had challenged him, could never be erased. No matter how he tried to justify it, he had cut down the humanoids as enemies in order to protect his own people. It couldn’t be excused just because it was a war. Certainly, he was a sinner who had willingly stepped onto the battlefield and willingly killed others. Therefore, if that was to be called a sin, he would freely admit his own sin.

If…If they could find a way to reincarnate the demons, they could laugh together with the humanoids of the world…If such a future came to pass…At that time, he would ask the people to judge him…At that time, he would bear all of the infamy as the last of the accursed demons and stand on the execution grounds.

He had been ready for this ever since he had first held a sword in his hand. Since the very first time he had killed someone, he had believed that he would die miserably someday. But that was all for the sake of paving the way for tomorrow. Even if he wouldn’t be part of that future—as long as she was still alive, it would be enough.

“Then I will sever that accursed fate with my sword! We’ll be the last of the demons to walk this accursed path! For the sake of living together without killing each other, for the future of my people…I’ll fight!”

His sword wasn’t clouded by doubt. There was no hesitation in his eyes. His armor reflected the sunlight that was shining from the sky, while his cloak was flapping as if to present the image of a noble swordsman.

This complicated the feelings of the Twelve Stars, who had been previously hostile to him. No, they were in fact still hostile. They couldn’t consider what Terra had said to be a convenient excuse of an invader. After all, Ruphas, the master of the Twelve Stars, was the same as him.

She had also killed her enemies for the sake of peace. She had ruthlessly erased them. If all of her enemies were killed down to the last person, peace would finally come. She was running barefoot on a thorny path, dyeing it red with her own blood.

Oh, how ironic. The people who were seeking peace were killing each other. That’s why they should have been pleased. However, it just complicated their feelings.

“…Hey, elder brother. Could that child be the next hero or something?”

“No, the hero is somebody else. Sei, the one who came from the world called ‘Japan’, is the current hero.”

“Would that be the unreliable kid who’s bringing along a tiger, a cat, and a gorilla beastkin?”

“Yes, it’s that unreliable youth who’s bringing along a tiger, a cat, and a gorilla beastkin.”

“…He’s the hero?”

“Apparently.”

What exactly is the hero…

While the twilight fairy siblings were talking, the battle between Sol and Terra had intensified before them. They seemed to be evenly matched. But with the difference in numbers, it wouldn’t be surprising if the balance was lost at any moment.

Sol was enjoying the struggle with a joyful expression. However…the person behind Sol didn’t enjoy it as much as he did. She decided to ensure victory by helping Sol.

—A third party who couldn’t read the mood had intervened.

“This is…not good!”

Holy power emanated from Sol’s body, increasing the pressure exerted by his presence. There was no doubt that the Goddess had interfered. Sensing this, both Castor and Sol shouted at the same time.

Bad. This is really bad!

Castor merely felt threatened by Sol’s increasing power. It was Sol himself who had a greater sense of danger than anyone else.

This was a move that shouldn’t have been made!

“Goddess, stop! This…”

“—Too late. She’s too hasty to end the fight, huh?”

In contrast to Sol’s anxiety, Pollux spoke softly. At the same time, Parthenos removed the sealing ring from Pollux’s finger. The Goddess’ assistance was really great, but that also meant that her consciousness had moved over to Sol. In other words, she was revealing that she could no longer possess Pollux for now, which was what they had been worried about…It was a really stupid move.

“Gather, my beloved children…Come, Return of the Heroic Spirits (Argonautai)!”

A pillar of light rose from Pollux’s body and penetrated the sky. The sky tore apart and light shone down. And the heroes who had died began to descend from between the clouds. In response to the call of the Fairy Princess, they prepared their weapons one after another.

Victory had been decided. If the fairy siblings summoned all of the heroes at the same time, there were only a few in Midgard who could prevail against them.

Sol clicked his tongue as he realized that his fun time was over. Even if he stayed here, only death would result.

“Looks like this is as far as I go. If all of the ancient heroes are gathered like this, even I won’t be able to win. …Well, whatever. In that case, I’ll just deal with the heroes of the current generation first. Besides, the objective has already been met.”

Sol left behind a disturbing statement and turned to leave the location. Castor quickly directed some heroes to pursue him, but it would be difficult for them to catch up if Sol made a serious attempt to escape. After witnessing his perfect escape, Pollux clicked her tongue and raised her opinion of him in her heart.

He wasn’t just strong. He had good judgment too. That was a rather annoying opponent.

“Once he saw that he couldn’t win, he quickly withdrew before the exits were blocked, huh? …He’s rather difficult, isn’t he?”

“Hmm. A discerning opponent is the most troubling. A bothersome person has appeared.”

Pollux and Parthenos frankly acknowledged how bothersome Sol was and commended him for it. Their victory this time was due to the Goddess who had left an opening in her desperation to win. Otherwise, there would have surely been casualties regardless of whether they attained victory or defeat.

Even so, Sol’s last words were rather troubling…Was it a bluff?

The ouroboros showed no sign of movement. It seemed to still be asleep.

Furthermore, the current heroes he mentioned should be referring to the Seven Heroes, but that was probably a trap. The goal was likely to disperse their forces while they rushed to protect the Seven Heroes.

Pollux didn’t notice.

The Earth Ouroboros, who slept underground, opened its eyelids once…and closed them immediately.

♓

The ocean. It was the mother who brought forth life and also a world of mysteries. There were civilizations in the ocean which were different from those of the humanoids on land.

The merfolk, also called the fishfolk, were sea dwellers with high intelligence and combat power. The females had upper bodies resembling humans and the lower bodies of a fish. The males had the opposite appearance and were classified as demihumans in the current world.

Furthermore, the merfolk were broadly divided into two types—those who wanted to be treated as humanoids by the people on land and those who separated themselves from the people on land in order to live in the paradise of the sea. The former were those who followed Leon, while the latter lived in Skíðblaðnir, the kingdom of the sea.

In this underwater kingdom, beautiful mermaids swam in crystal-clear waters, while mermen with harpoons went out to hunt.

About half of the buildings were towers. The windows were mostly open and merfolk entered and exited through them. Although they were towers, they had no stairs. The merfolk could freely move up, down, left, and right, so it was enough to simply have holes connecting spaces. They were built on the assumption that three-dimensional movement was possible. It couldn’t be done by humans on land.

Instead of using vehicles for transportation, the merfolk used orvars, a species of magical beasts which had mutated from orcas. Even the young could reach a length of ten meters. If it was a huge specimen, it could grow up to thirty meters. These magical beasts had very high combat power and intelligence, but they were also known for being friendly to people and easy to domesticate.

In addition, there were also small creatures called dauphins that lived alongside the orvars.This species were originally dolphins which had been domesticated and living with the merfolk for many years. Eventually, they underwent dwarfism and became pets. Selective breeding had resulted in many different kinds of dauphins. On the other hand, abandoned dauphins, which had been thrown away by owners who were tired of raising them, had also become a social problem.

In this city of the sea, there was a particularly large building. It was a huge palace constructed of pure gold and crystals, from which the king of the merfolk ruled over the city of the sea. Only beautiful mermaids worked in the palace. No merman worked there. Furthermore, all the mermaids had blond or vermilion hair, which were uniformly long.

Deep within the palace, there was a room which glittered with the most tasteless fashion. Decorated with crystal accessories and surrounded by beautiful mermaids, the only male within the palace sat on a throne which appeared to be a large shell at first glance.

Unbelievably, he was the only male in this city of the sea who was unlike the other mermen, because he had a completely human body. Both his upper body and lower body were completely human and covered in a fluttering hagoromo-like costume. His blond hair was completely combed back, while his sharp blue eyes hinted at his arrogant personality. He had a mole on his forehead, which could be considered an exquisite feature.

He looked like he was in his early twenties. His slender, well-toned body was exposed as he was waited upon by the females. He was the king of the sea. In a sense, his dominance over the vast sea implied that he was the ruler of the largest territory in Midgard.

Presently, a young mermaid, who was probably a messenger, came and bowed.

“Your Majesty, I’d like to make a report. The descendants of those who went on land have gone missing.”

“Ah, those idiots who decided to followLeon, eh? What a bunch of fools…They should have just lived under my protection. Why did they even want to be treated equally by those who are satisfied with the narrow world on land? Why should anybody care what the lower life-forms think?”

Without hiding his contempt, the king mocked them. In his eyes, the seven humanoid races were inferior species. No, not just the humanoids. Everything that lived in this world were lower life-forms to him. They were just a pale imitation of the Goddess.

There were only two beings who were truly precious in this world. Needless to say, one was himself, the perfect being, the pinnacle of beauty, and the son of the Goddess. The other was a lovely woman who was born of a lower species but had surpassed it all to become one-of-a-kind in this world.

At one rank below, the ouroboroses, the Fairy Princess, and the Demon King would barely qualify to be admitted. He looked at the messenger girl and stared at her limbs as if licking them without hiding his lust.

“What else?”

“Ye—Yes. A few people who claimed to have business with Your Majesty are shouting outside the palace.”

“Business with me? Where did these rude people come from?”

“I—I don’t know. I have never seen them before. There is a feminine golem and an old human who wears a monocle…”

“…A feminine golem and an old human who wears a monocle?”

Listening to the girl’s report, two figures who didn’t give him good impressions flashed across the king’s mind. One was a killer maid golem which, although she had a decent appearance, was ultimately nothing more than a beautiful object. The other was a crazy goat devil. He would never forget them. He didn’t have a good impression of them because whenever they spoke to him, they always used that abominable name.

“I see. By the way, aren’t you an unfamiliar face?”

“I’m Suirat Tigas, an apprentice who has just started working here the other day. This time, I’m acting on behalf of the messenger who is sick.”

“Hmm…”

It wasn’t unusual for him to not know about a newcomer. To put it bluntly, she was just someone at the bottom ranks. It would be too disrespectful to bother the king with reports about every single apprentice. One would be introduced only after they had finished their training and could properly serve by themselves.

…Still, there was actually a separate facility for training purposes, so only those who were deemed capable were allowed to come here. However, the king didn’t pursue the matter further.

Hmm…Her face looks a bit young, but her hair color is the same…

The girl’s hair was blond, becoming vermilion at the tips. This was the same color as that woman whom he acknowledged as his equal and fell in love with. In fact, all the females who served in the palace had something in common with her.

There was nothing much to it. This man was simply making a harem of women who were similar to his unrequited love. For him, it was essential for the hair color to be a perfect match.

“Anyway, let’s get rid of those shouting fools. You’re Suirat, is it? I have decided. Tonight, you will be my partner. Be honored.”

The king grinned disgustingly at his unexpected partner for the night. The girl, who was specified, blushed and lowered her head.

Such a fresh reaction. I have only been dealing with experienced women so far, but it might be fun to have an inexperienced virgin every once in a while.

However, the king’s despicable thoughts were blown away in the next moment.

—The entrance was blown away and the door landed a direct hit on him.

“I’ve come to intrude in a dynamic fashion! Is the perverted narcissist Eros at home?”

“Playing King of the Hill in a palace full of women? He’s still a man with bad taste.”

While saying so, a steel maid golem came in along with an intellectual-looking old gentleman who was actually of the radical faction.

The surrounding mermaids were stunned by their crude and disrespectful entrance. It was only natural. After all, he was the king. It was unheard of for him to be smacked with the door.

“It’s not Eros! It’s Pisces, you fools!”

The king yelled at the two of them. The Tyrannical Twelve Stars, Pisces of the Fish—real name, Eros—pushed aside the broken door and jumped up without hiding his annoyance.

Image from Light Novel Volume 7