It was an unbelievable strength.

　An arm that could have been the steel of a demon monkey swung to destroy the street and the barrier that stood before it. With a simple swing of his arm, a roar echoed and the air was cut off.

　Everyone saw the blow and understood.

　That's not good. Clearly, we're living outside of reality. It's outside of our understanding. It's as if the turbulence in the air that the demon monkey's strength cuts through is distorting the world itself.

　There's no murderous intent in that blow. No hostility. Just a simple palm strike to shake off what's in the way. I wonder how many people will die just by touching that pressure.

　Kalia, on the other hand, is no different than usual. With her silver long sword shining brightly, she welcomed the demon monkey's palm strike as if it were a regular occurrence, as if it were a matter of course.

　At the moment when the bottom of his palm, which could be considered a deadly weapon, was about to transform Kalia into a mere piece of meat, his silver hair shook. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. As he did so, Kalia gulped involuntarily.

　--A dull, steel-to-steel clash.

　The dull sound of iron joining iron echoed through the battlefield. In reality, it was the joining of sword and skin.

　From the touch on her hand, Kalia realized the threat of the monster in front of her. Its skin was so hard that it no longer seemed to be a living thing. It's skin was so hard that it could no longer be considered a living thing. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she jumped out of the way as quickly as she could.

　Instantly, the street was gouged, leaving only the shadow of the demon behind. It was no longer a soft gouge. It was a complete crushing. The cobblestones that had been clinging to the street were scattered and crushed like flimsy paper.

　As if in response to that scene, a flash of silver runs.

　In that instant, the bottom of his palm slammed into the street and he stopped moving. Seeing the end of the attack, Kalia flung her long sword into the wind to slash the demon monkey's wrist. This time, it wasn't just a simple slide of the blade. This time, it was not a mere slide of the blade, but a blow with all the strength and determination to break the wrist itself.

　The entire sequence of actions was breathtakingly beautiful. There was no hesitation due to fear in his steps, and the tip of his sword was as smooth as the wind. All of this was proof of Kalia's natural prowess. One can imagine her unceasing training.

　But that's only a human gift.

　The battlefield echoes with a duller sound than before.

　Limbs reminiscent of steel. The wrists, which I imagine are still fragile in that context. It was impossible to keep them rigidly in place because they were driven by the hand, or so Kalia thought.

　But in reality, all Karia could reach was a piece of the demon monkey's skin. It was impossible to tear the flesh, let alone the bones. Kalia's silver eyes fluttered in astonishment. How is this possible? Could such a situation that defies the very reason of the world happen?

　When you are facing a hexenbiest, you must always keep in the back of your mind the fact that unexpected things can happen.

　This is something that Kalia is well aware of and has never failed to consider. In fact, when she tried to slash off her wrist, she was moving with the expectation that the blade would not penetrate.

　But no. The moment she brought her sword into contact with the demon monkey's skin with all her might, she realized. A solid feeling that no longer seemed real. It's as if it's trying to slash the earth itself. Even with hundreds of swords, there is no way I can slay its body. Yes, I understand.

　It doesn't seem like a creature that's an extension of the world it's in. This is different. This isn't a hexenbiest anymore, it's something else.

　The moment the hexenbiest's wrist connected with the sword and Caria's brain spinal cord instantly sensed this, her brain gave the order without any confusion.

　--Run away. This is not an opponent you can win against. No human creature can defeat the being in front of them.

　My legs move as quickly as they can.

　I didn't think anything of it. Just as if Kalia's leg itself had a will of its own, it jumped away from the spot. The next moment, the place where she had been standing was shattered by the force.

　Without a doubt, if she had stayed there now, she would have died. The feeling of death came a few moments later, and sweat licked at Kalia's forehead. Her organs became as heavy as if they were rocks, and her fingertips trembled as she gripped the long sword.

　How long had it been since this had happened? Unintentionally, Kalia's mouth twisted slightly in mockery of herself. Fear gripped her heart, and the instincts stirring in her brain commanded her to flee.

　I see, that's reasonable, Kalia's long eyelashes blinked.

　It would be foolish to fight that monster, the demon monkey, alone here and now. It's no longer a being that humans can reach. Magic, sorcery, or whatever, I can't imagine distorting that manifestation of death.

　It would be nothing more than a fool to fight that threat with a single sword, as in a knight's tale.

　--Geeeaaaaah!

　The monkey scream spun again. The shattering cries of the windows and pieces of wood woke up the surrounding soldiers, who fled with the demon monkey at their backs. The madness of the battlefield was no longer in his eyes. He remembered the preciousness of life in his body again.



　That would be the right choice. This is no longer a battlefield where soldiers fight each other. That demon monkey has redrawn this whole battlefield. That demon monkey is the ruler of the battlefield now.

So, if I strangle that demon monkey, the victory will come to me - just wait, I'll bring back the victory to you as much as you want.

　Without saying a word to anyone, Kalia's lips muttered in amusement.

　At this moment, even in a place where the path to victory was not even visible, retreat was not an option for Kalia. Her silver hair, which had been divided into two tufts, was unraveled by the crushed fragments and now swept up into long hair.

　Even if the blade does not penetrate the skin, even if its existence is an unmistakable manifestation of death. That's no reason not to confront it. Besides, Kalia has been entrusted. To win. To that request, she said, it's up to me.

　Then I will not retreat. I must be the ideal, the strong one. I can't let him regret believing in me.

　Even in the past, Caria was not a hero only because of her prowess in warfare.

　His unyielding and unparalleled spirituality, the gleam of his noble soul that reminds us of the brightness of the sun. It was this mentality that trampled and cut off even the weaknesses that existed within him that made Kalia Vadnick a hero.

　And besides," Kalia couldn't help but relax her cheeks.

　--And I'm going to stand next to that fool. I'd have to be a fool myself to keep it together.

　The silver gleam draws a line with a roar. Aiming at fingertips, feet, and joints, it approaches the demon monkey with dancing feet.

　The dull sound echoed again and again. Kalia could feel her beloved long sword creaking and screaming in pain.

　There has to be somewhere. There must be something, some vital point that would kill this monster. Believing this, she moved with all her might and ran her sword over the demon monkey's body.

　The demon monkey's strength must be vicious, but there is no fine gesture. That's natural. If you just use your body and swing your limbs, all your prey will be turned to dust. There is no need for technique or tactics.

　If you take even one wrong step, if you misread even for a moment, you die. Kalia knew this intuitively. After all, her instincts had just been sending the threat of death to her brain.

　I've had this feeling before. That painful feeling of hopelessness, of just feeling helpless. It was once when I was facing a boar-shaped monster in a forest of giant trees.

　How did I win that time?

　Fatigue fills my body. My lungs were raging for air, and my body was in constant pain. In that situation, unable to even catch her breath, Kalia was tracing the thread of her memory as if it were a running clock.