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The loud sound of metal clashing rang out periodically while dust and orange sparks flew everywhere. The audience was captivated by that sight, cheering loudly while watching how the Hero and Demon Lord fought.

“Hyahhhh!!”
“Ghu…hh..?!”

With an invigorated shout, Crim closed the distance to her opponent in the blink of an eye and spun like a tornado to deliver a roundhouse kick. Suzaku blocked with the buckler in his left hand, but it did not seem to help him at all as his body was sent flying around ten meters back.

He somehow managed to plant his feet and avoid falling over, but then he had to throw himself to the side as the girl was rushing at him with her scythe ready.

“…Dangit, how come you can be both so fast and hit so hard..?!”

A dull pain spread through his left arm as he hurried back on his feet, and then he broke into a run while grumbling. He did that almost by instinct, knowing that standing still in one place would be too dangerous.

Agility did not exist as an explicit stat in Destiny Unchain Online, so there was no systematic tradeoff between strength and speed, which usually were opposing traits in games.

Rather, inertia and momentum played a much more noticeable role, as even someone with a petite body like that girl could pick up speed to add more weight to each strike.

“… Again, Backshot!!
“When wilt thou learn? Slash Rave…!”

Cli-Cli-Clink!!

Three overlapping metallic clashes rang out. Suzaku had used his three strike attack the moment Crim landed, but she used her claws to deflect each of them.

Crim’s main weapon, the scythe, was large and took longer to swing around. Because of that, she was forced to use her claws instead, which had very little range but could be moved much faster. That gave her a nearly impenetrable defense.

A weapon made from powerful condensed magic. Speed that could not be matched. And a solid defense. That small girl, the Demon Lord, did not seem to have any openings at all, and even Suzaku felt annoyed by it.

But that was exactly what Suzaku wanted to experience, what it felt to fight the top player. Crim Lua Cheia, the Demon Lord that had become so popular amongst all players, stood far above everyone else.

In a way, he could not understand why he was still standing. But then, he noticed that she was doing that on purpose, avoiding hitting anywhere near his head. That was not because she was trying to make a mockery of him. She did not seem like the type of person to taunt others like that. It was actually the opposite.

Is this all? You can’t go any further than this?

It was like she was anticipating something, trusting her opponent to be stronger than that. And surprisingly, it was working. She was forcing Suzaku’s reactions to become sharper.

“…This is pissing me off. Just how much of a s̲a̲d̲i̲s̲t̲ are you?!!”

Suzaku gritted his teeth, flashes of light appearing all around his peripheral vision, pushing him one step past his limits. But even that was not enough.

His Quick Future Prediction Skill was becoming more effective, allowing him to see exactly what Crim was about to do. Accelerated Thought was also in full effect, so much so that he was starting to feel lightheaded from all the information his mind was processing.

And yet, he could not react. Even if he could see what was going to happen, his body wasn’t fast enough to keep up.

“Damn it…!”

Crim rushed at him in a low stance, swinging her scythe upward. The attack succeeded in lifting Suzaku into the air.

“…Azrael’s Ring!”

Crim hurled her scythe at Suzaku before he could land. He had no way to recover his stance in time, leaving him with no choice but to wait… or not quite.

“…Damn you! I really don’t like how you behave when you fight, Demon Lord!!”

The only thing he could do was shout back at her as Azrael’s Ring sliced through his body. That seemed to mark the end of the fight—or at least, that’s what everyone thought—except for the one who had unleashed the attack.

The damage effect indicators on Suzaku’s body began to revert and vanish rapidly.

«Dragonblood Hero Siegfried (approximation).»

The Skill activated automatically, forcing his HP to remain at 1 the moment it would have dropped to 0. But Crim had anticipated that. Her Slave Chain was already wrapping around him.

“That may be a vexing Skill, yet thou art utterly defenseless whilst it activateth, rendering it simple to counter.”
“Screw… you..!”

Suzaku desperately wriggled while glaring at Crim. He was well aware of that weakness, which was exactly why Crim had put him in a position where he couldn’t do anything before the Skill activated.

“First, I shall strip thee of thy trump card. Stand thou still. Hanging Wings!”

While he was still restrained by the chains, Crim used another ability to suspend him mid-air. There was no way for him to break free from the restraints, and after 30 or 40 seconds, the effect of Dragonblood Hero Siegfried (approximation) wore off without giving him any benefit.

This left Suzaku alive with just 1 HP, making him an easy target. But instead of finishing him off, Crim released him.

“…What are you planning, Demon Lord?”
“What can I say… I hold that the only way to forge strength in others is to drive them into a corner, leaving them no escape.”

Crim chuckled devilishly as she spun her scythe again and held it ready.

“With thy immortal fury now spent, this is thy final chance… Come, Hero, show me thy full might!”
“Shut up… I’ll make you eat those words!!”

Suzaku, visibly seething, charged at her with renewed determination.

◇◇◇

“Raaahhhhhh!!”

Suzaku roared as he unleashed a flurry of attacks, which Crim couldn’t block entirely, forcing her to dodge. But she was a moment too late, and Suzaku’s demonic sword grazed her arms.

Hmm, as I thought, his movements have gotten sharper.

Suzaku’s attacks were indeed faster now, closing the gap between them. He even managed to graze Crim occasionally, which only served to make her more pleased.

Gamers typically reacted to being cornered in two ways. Some would break, their movements becoming sluggish. Others would rise to the challenge, becoming faster and more decisive.

Having observed Suzaku’s actions twice—once against monsters and then against Fafnir—she already knew he was the latter type.

She had a hunch he had the potential to reach the same level as her and Sorleon. She wanted to see how much further she could push him, but she could tell the toll from Accelerated Thought was becoming too much for him.

In that case, I’ll just give him a proper sendoff as a hero!!

Crim, overtaken by a combat high, let go of calm thinking and unleashed all of her power.

◇◇◇

“’Twas a valiant effort to have come this far, O Hero! As thy reward, I shall bring an end to thy pitiful life with the full extent of mine power!!”

Suzaku’s vision was beginning to blur as his mind reached its limit, but he still glared at the girl before him—the Demon Lord—who had clearly gotten carried away, laughing loudly while raising her arms.

“Witness… Blaze Blood!!”

A moment later, her entire body became engulfed in deep crimson flames, as though she had been set ablaze. Suzaku’s skin tingled in warning, sensing that something terrifying was coming. Yet, he gritted his teeth and tried to steady his sword, until…

«DESTROYED! SUZAKU LOSES!!»

“Ah…hahh…ghah?!”

The announcement of his defeat suddenly flashed before his eyes. Before he could process what had happened, he caught sight of a red-haired girl beside him, her scythe mid-swing.

His HP finally hit zero, and his consciousness faded to black…

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