Artina’s heart pounded.
‘…Can I win?’
The enemy standing before her was strong.
He was far stronger than any Subordinate of the Demon King she had faced so far. The aura flowing from his body was different.
She didn’t feel like she could win easily. Her mind went blank, making it impossible to think of anything.
Tap!
Artina turned her head to look at Ropenheim, who had placed a hand on her shoulder.
His hair was disheveled, his body was covered in dirt, and one of his arms hung limply.
This was the price for failing to block all of the Demon King’s attacks.
Despite having felt the gap in power so vividly, Ropenheim’s eyes remained clear.
They were eyes that knew no fear. Even though he had to fight a being like the Demon King, Ropenheim was not afraid.
“M-Mister.”
“Artina, focus.”
With his grave voice, she turned her head back to look straight ahead. The Demon King spread both hands, creating tens of thousands of light rays.
“In the name of the Goddess.”
A pure white shield formed, blocking the attacks pouring down on Artina and Ropenheim.
Boom!
Cr-crack!
Her Divine Power depleted rapidly under the continuous battering of tens of thousands of light rays.
‘…Can I win?’
That thought surfaced once more. The Demon King wasn’t just toying with Ropenheim; he had even torn apart the Divine Spear, which had been close to a finishing move. Not only that, he was now unleashing overwhelming Demonic Power with wild abandon. With her current Divine Power, she could never defeat the Demon King.
“Mister. You should run. I’ll try to hold him off here.”
“Artina.”
“You can survive, Mister.”
“If I run and you die, what about those behind us? And those in the Kingdom who are cheering for us?”
Artina’s eyes wavered at Ropenheim’s question.
While experiencing the massive presence of the Demon King, she had forgotten the most important things—the terrible things that would happen if they retreated here.
Vrrrrm!
The Demon King’s attack grew even more fierce, and her body began to be pushed back.
“…Urgh!”
Cracks even appeared on the Divine Power shield.
At this rate, the shield would shatter, and they would die meaningless deaths at the hands of the Demon King.
“Queen! Hang in there! You can do it!”
“Don’t give up!”
Voices from behind made her bite her lip. They were such familiar voices. These were people who had gathered under the conviction of killing the Demon King and saving the world.
Among them were comrades she had been with since her days at the Academy. Some had joined the Subjugation Force to protect their families. Others had been hostile to humans but had joined hands with them. Every one of them had come this far because they believed in Artina.
‘The subjects and allies I must protect.’
If she gave up here, they could no longer dream. Because the moment they lost, everything would end.
“…I have to do it.”
Even if she died, she had to erase that Demon King from this world. That was the mission given to her. The Saint of the Sword. A servant chosen by God.
As she accepted everything, a change occurred within her body. The weight and fear she felt when looking at the Demon King vanished. She felt no emotion at all. She was indifferent. Divine Power overflowed throughout her entire body.
She gathered her Divine Power while staring at the enemy. Pure white light spread out, annihilating all the black rays of light created by the Demon King. Watching this scene, the Demon King’s eyes narrowed.
“…You, what are you?”
“A servant who follows God. And the Sword of Judgment that will kill you.”
The Demon King’s gaze shifted slightly upward. He looked at the Apostle of the Black Dragon God floating in the sky.
“Wasn’t God dead?”
“…Just kill her. She’ll be the last one anyway.”
“Let’s change the plan. I’ll kill that girl first.”
Red light flickered in the Demon King’s eyes. Simultaneously, even stronger Demonic Power poured out. As if he had been saving his strength until now, the Demonic Power spreading in all directions weighed down the battlefield.
Artina clasped her hands and offered a prayer to God. The infinitely expanding Divine Power cleared the Demonic Power that was suppressing the battlefield.
Demonic Power and Divine Power began a struggle for dominance at the spot where the two stood. Black light and white light.
The two lights filled the entire battlefield. Amidst the tense power struggle where neither side yielded an inch, someone moved.
A pure white sword. Ropenheim, who had become a single sword, sliced through the darkness and swung his blade toward the Demon King’s neck.
Slash!
[The Saintess has resolved to sacrifice herself.]
[She has surpassed the limits of a human.]
[Saint of the Sword Artina (SSS) has increased in rank.]
With Artina’s rank rising, she became equal to the Demon King. A tense battle where neither side held the upper hand. However, they weren’t the only ones on the battlefield.
[Hero King Ropenheim has gained Enlightenment.]
[He has surpassed the limits of a human.]
[Hero King Ropenheim (SSS) has increased in rank.]
The battle ended as the pure white sword severed the Demon King’s neck.
“Impossible! How can a mere human… the Demon King…”
Looking at the Apostle of the Black Dragon God in the sky who was denying reality, I used magic.
Pop!
I detonated the Intermediate Apostle just like that, eliminating any variables.
[You have earned an Arena ticket and a Pub ticket as rewards.]
[You have completed the Awakening Quest.]
[You have obtained a Black Spirit Pill as an additional reward.]
A golden light shimmered where the Demon King’s corpse had been. I went there and checked the identity of the light.
[Using Golden Dragon Eye.]
[Black Spirit Pill (SSS)]
– A pill created by the Demon King to become a divine being.
– Can raise a Guardian who handles Demonic Power to SSS Rank.
Oho. With this, I can make Turkan of the Dark Night SSS Rank.
“Waaaaah!”
“We won!”
As if greeting those cheering in joy, the dark clouds cleared, and bright sunlight poured down. The humans and Demi-humans who participated in the Subjugation Force shared their joy together.
Ropenheim watched the scene with pride. Beside him, the members of the Former Hero Party approached and hugged each other. It was a scene where victory and happiness could be felt simultaneously.
“Lord Jorge.”
“Hmm?”
I turned my head and saw Artina approaching.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, we were able to save this world.”
“No. You and Elder Ropenheim did it all.”
“Without you, Lord Jorge, it wouldn’t have even been possible to start. Thank you so much for giving me this power.”
Artina bowed her head and offered her thanks.
“Right. I get it, so go on. It looks like everyone is waiting for you.”
“Yes.”
Watching Artina head toward the Subjugation Force with a bright smile to enjoy the victory, I fell into thought.
‘Should I cancel the Guardian appointment?’
This world still needed Artina. The reconstruction of the Kingdom. Artina was the most necessary person for the Lopes Kingdom. However, as my Guardian, she had to return with me when I went back to Reality.
But I didn’t want to give up on Artina. It felt like a waste to leave an SSS Rank Guardian behind.
[The Goddess uses her Authority to transfer the permission to connect the Dragon Lair and the current dimension.]
[You can now freely travel between the two dimensions.]
[You have obtained a new qualification.]
[Information cannot be confirmed as the conditions have not yet been met.]
A series of difficult-to-understand messages appeared one after another.
To summarize briefly, I could now come and go from this dimension as I pleased.
This meant I could leave Artina here while still having her as a Guardian.
Second, I had gained some kind of qualification, but I couldn’t check it because I hadn’t met the conditions.
‘I have a general idea.’
It was likely a hint regarding my future goal, including the Authority of the Goddess. The Dragon God. I decided to find out how to meet the qualifications through Rose, and then I sent a Telepathy message to Ropenheim, who was surrounded by his comrades.
【Enjoy yourself and return when you’re ready.】
My eyes met Ropenheim’s as he looked over. Ropenheim, filled with various emotions, expressed his gratitude. I smiled back and waved my hand.
“Time to head back.”
I created a Portal to return to the original world and moved through it. The familiar Dragon Lair appeared. I stepped out and headed to Balak’s restaurant. My stomach growled at the delicious smell.
“It’s been a while.”
“How long has it been?”
“Three years?”
That much time had passed? It had probably been about a week in Reality. I was curious about what changes there might be, but it was time to fill my empty stomach first.
“Make me something delicious.”
“Just wait a moment.”
As soon as he went into the kitchen, the delicious aroma became even richer. While performing the Awakening Quest, I had eaten using ingredients in the Warehouse, but it could hardly be called proper cooking.
“Here.”
I picked up my fork and knife as I looked at the steak Balak had quickly grilled.
“Thank you for the food.”
I filled my stomach by eating the food Balak had made for the first time in a while. I sat for a moment to rest. While resting, I organized what I had gained so far and my future plans.
‘First, the High Apostle situation is resolved.’
I had grown Ropenheim and Artina into SSS Rank Guardians, and I could make Turkan of the Dark Night SSS Rank with the Black Spirit Pill left behind by the Demon King. I summoned Turkan. Turkan, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, frowned and had a painful expression on his face.
“…This is hell.”
“Ah, is this more comfortable?”
I used Corruption on the spot where Turkan stood.
“That’s better. Why did you call me?”
“Your tone has gotten short again since I last saw you?”
“Did you call for me?”
“Here.”
I threw the Black Spirit Pill I had to Turkan. His eyes widened immensely as he caught it. It seemed he recognized what it was just by looking at it.
“Whoa… Damn, do you know what this is before giving it to me?”
“Do you think I’m giving it to you without knowing?”
“Shit, thank you so much! I might not be able to give my life, but I will give you my full loyalty!”
“Fine. I’ll need you to see some action soon, so eat that and make it completely yours.”
Turkan looked a bit troubled at my instruction. He scratched his head with his large hand and looked at me.
“I need Demonic Power to consume this properly.”
“How much?”
“It needs to be a place strong enough to maintain a Demon Realm. But I can’t return to the Demon Realm of this world. Thanks to someone, I’ve become a traitor.”
Hmm. I debated whether I should go to the Demon Realm right now and wage war against the Demon King of this world.
‘They’re going to invade anyway.’
We didn’t necessarily need to charge into the enemy camp and kill the Demon King first. We weren’t strong enough to take that risk yet.
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, there was one suitable place.
“Follow me.”
I took Turkan and stood before the Portal connected to the dimension where Ropenheim was.
“Where is this?”
“It’s where Ropenheim is. The Demon King in that world is dead. Go there, make that Black Spirit Pill yours, and while you’re at it, try ruling the Demon Realm there to grow your forces.”
I don’t know what part he liked, but Turkan smiled brightly, his lips curling up.
“Sounds good.”
True to his straightforward personality, he immediately stepped through the Portal into the other world. I didn’t feel the need to follow him, so I returned to where I was. I sat back down and organized the rest of my thoughts.
‘I’ll get tickets by catching the High Apostles…’
After meeting the Ancient Dragons and gaining proper power, I just had to conquer the First Forest remaining in the Sleeping Forest.
“Then, shall I head back to prepare for catching the Apostles?”