He could read the future. More precisely, he could perceive danger up to five seconds ahead.

That allowed Ignak to fight like a seasoned superhuman using neural acceleration. No matter how fast an attack was, he could respond if he knew it was coming before it landed.

And so, as black mana welled up within him, his body moved faster and faster. His movements grew more precise.

A sharp sword stroke aimed at his neck—deflected.

A thrust at his chest—parried as well.

Fire magic aimed at his head—evaded with a sharp tilt of his head.

A powerful axe blow from behind—glanced off his pauldron.

CLANG! CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!!

Even against four opponents, he held his ground. No, he was overwhelming them. With greater strength, with fiercer mana. The children before him were unseasoned to begin with, and injured besides.

All four were battered and panting, like candle flames that might gutter at any moment. Every instant, they struggled to throw their full strength against him.

But a candle always burns brightest just before it goes out.

CRUNCH!!

For the first time, a blow struck home. An axe blade descended from an angle he could not evade, though he had seen it coming. Ignak fought down the bile rising in his throat and swung his staff.

CRACK!

But the blow was stopped. Two warriors stood against the furious orc's mighty strike: Isabelle and Oscar. Their movements meshed with measured precision as they blocked the attack aimed at Esidisi.

Then the next blow struck.

WHOOSH—BOOM!

A fireball came for Ignak's head. He strained to twist aside, but his position made it impossible. He had known it was coming, yet with his staff caught, he could move no farther.

“Grrrgh!! You bastards!!”

Bloody froth bubbled from his mouth. Rage surged until his vision swam.

The longer he fought, the clearer it became. Because he could see the future, he understood all the more clearly.

These children were growing more precise by the moment. Though their bodies looked ready to collapse at a touch, they gritted their teeth and pressed on through the pain tearing through them.

One threw themselves forward to protect a companion, and another hurled themselves in to support the one who had advanced.

BOOM!!

While those at the front bore the full brunt of Ignak's strength, another landed a blow. From an angle he could not evade even with forewarning, at a speed he could barely react to.

And so their ‘neural acceleration’ was honed ever faster, ever sharper.

Isabelle had already passed her time limit. Her overloaded nerves were frayed, ready to snap at any moment. But she did not stop. One more step forward, one more strike.

No one would die before her today. She would never let that happen.

Her blue eyes shone like a cluster of stars. Not even pain could cloud her perception. At last, her blade sliced deep across Ignak's flank.

SLASH!

Blood scattered through the air. With everyone's perception of time accelerated to the extreme, it looked like a gliding wave. It rose into the night sky, scattering the reflected light of the campfire.

Ignak staggered, his stance crumbling. Was this the moment? No. Not yet. His strength was not yet spent.

“Grrrrrgh!!”

Foaming blood in his fury, he swung his arm at Isabelle.

The physical disparity between orcs and humans was so great that pretending they were equals was scarcely fair. Even dozens of clean hits might not kill Ignak, while he could end their lives with a single blow.

And so Isabelle, left off balance after her attack, grinned at the enormous fist hurtling toward her.

“Kept... it!”

She had kept her promise. Her promise that no one would die before her.

She had protected her companions. Her strike had broken his stance, and now she had drawn his attack. They would finish him off.

If she had one regret, it was that she had never found out whether her mister was safe.

Please, let him be alive. Let him be alive and well. Just as she was about to close her eyes with that thought—

CLAAANG!!

A blade slipped between them and forced Ignak's fist aside. Oscar gritted his teeth as even his sword-wielding right hand twisted at an unnatural angle.

“You idiot! You should have attacked instead of saving me!”

“But I did save you, didn't I?”

That put Oscar out of the fight. In truth, he should have been out already. At Isabelle's horrified cry, he smiled, both arms hanging limp, then sank to his knees and collapsed.

Ignak's eyes gleamed. Once more. This time, he would strike—

CRUNCH!!

“Ghaaagh!!”

An axe buried itself in his back, timed to that very instant.

BOOOM!!

As he stumbled back, a massive block of ice slammed down on his head like a hammer.

And then.

SLIICE.

A blade bearing starlight glided smoothly through the darkness. Golden hair rippled and spread, and beneath it, a sword-wielding arm swept along the ground as fluidly as a wave.

Isabelle had recovered her stance in that fleeting opening. Bending low, she drove her blade forward. Long cuts opened behind both his knees. Blood pattered down, and Ignak swayed violently.

He had known. He had seen every one of these attacks in advance!

But he could not reach them. Death was coming. With a trembling hand, Ignak struggled to brace himself against the ground and raised his staff—

CRASH!

His vision lurched, and his body crumpled. Huh? He turned his head. The forearm he had been supporting himself with had flown far away.

Esidisi stood over him, axe in hand, resetting her stance.

Off balance, he took a fireball to the head. His vision went black, and his ears rang. Perhaps the blow had rattled his brain; his sense of balance reeled, and he vomited onto the ground.

SPLURT!!

A sword plunged straight down into his back.

Ignak flinched and went rigid. It was over. He could no longer move. Breathing raggedly, he slowly let his head droop.

“Tumor. Guide me to the plains...”

He murmured the words, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

“If we, if we too have a heaven, a heaven of our own. Brothers, my brothers. Let us fight... forever...”

He struggled to lift his gaze, his eyes pale and losing their life. He saw the four people surrounding him. Above them, the moon blazed bright and full, and a host of stars shone undimmed by its light.

Heroes.

Ignak could trace their faces through his old memories. Yes, they looked so much like those accursed people... Why had he failed to remember?

Hatred welled up,

and satisfaction weighed heavily upon his heart.

He had traded blows with heroes. He had fought to the very end and fallen as a warrior should.

May Tumor feel no shame at his defeat today. He too had fallen before the Hero all those years ago.

Ignak slowly closed his eyes. They never opened again.

Blood soaked the ground dark.

CRACKLE, POP.

The sound of the burning campfire soothed the silence that followed the frantic battle.

* * *

“We... won...”

“Anyone hurt?”

“Me.”

“Me too.”

“Do you really have to ask?”

Oscar chuckled and waved a dangling arm.

“Just trying a joke. I think I'm dying. It really hurts.”

“A knight of Thilles, undone by this little thing.”

“Knights are human too. Having both arms broken honestly makes me want to cry, but I'm too exhausted even for tears.”

“For the record, I've been shedding blood along with my tears, so I can barely see. This must be what they call sacrifice. The Grikencos have always sacrificed themselves for humans.”

“Every time I talk to you, I feel like I'm learning history I've never heard of. Some of it doesn't even sound like it happened in our world.”

“That's very human of you. Being short on learning. Generally, both your lives and your learning fall rather short.”

Isabelle chuckled at Elpihera's words and staggered to her feet.

“Bella...? Where are you going?”

“We have to rescue mister. Who knows where he's lying helpless right now? Ugh. I hope he's still alive.”

Isabelle shrugged and started walking. Before she had taken three steps, she found herself dropping helplessly to the ground.

Esidisi was already beside her, supporting her by the arm.

“Oh, thanks.”

“Don't mention it. I'm here for the same reason. Shall we look together?”

“For mister?”

“Yes, Uncle. Of course I'm worried. He's family to me.”

“Faaamily...??”

Esidisi answered Isabelle's stare with a mature smile.

Just as even Elpihera was wondering whether she ought to stand up, while Oscar remained slumped on the ground, resigned to whatever happened—

STEP.

A footstep rang out clearly.

“There's no need for that.”

The voice was somehow

a little familiar.

And therefore a little unsettling.

“Huh...?”

Isabelle was the first to react. She stared blankly ahead. Her vision was unfocused, but she could make out an approaching shadow.

With difficulty, she raised her trembling arm and rubbed her eyes. Then she strained to focus and looked ahead again...

Looked.

“Mister...?”