Kaede adjusted her grip on her sword. For the first time since entering the Demon King's tower and becoming the Dark Knight, she faced an enemy.

It troubled her that her enemy was a hero—someone she had never imagined opposing in her life—but she was a knight. Even if her liege was a Demon King, she faithfully obeyed his commands. That was all.

And, to borrow Ernyan's words, she too had grown fond of this tower. It was better than the cutthroat life of the imperial palace. She wanted to protect this peace.

'And there is my promise to Rufus.'

Her promise that he would never leave the tower, that she would never let the heroes rescue him.

"The Dark Knight? The Four Heavenly Kings? You're not even funny. You demon bastards think you can put on a play?"

Pablo Barkat sneered. He was a hero active in the southern alliance. Armed with a massive greatsword, he practiced a destructive sword style that crushed everything through strength and savagery.

CLANG!

He swung. Kaede parried, smoothly deflecting his blade and letting it slide past. That single clash gave each a measure of the other's abilities.

'Strength.'

She was outmatched.

'Speed.'

She had the advantage.

'Technique.'

She had the advantage there too.

The Empire's swordsmanship, hailed as the finest on the continent, had advanced another step under the guidance of a swordsman who ranked among the best even in the Demon Realm.

That was why the title of Star did not intimidate her. Rather, she was confident she could win.

This time, she struck first. Golden radiance traced a long arc through the air. A surge of red rushed to meet it.

BOOM!

BOOM!

Aura collided with aura. Gold and crimson mingled, and fragments of shattered aura scattered in every direction.

SCREEECH!

The enormous greatsword slid along the flat of Kaede's blade. It struck the innocent ground instead, and seawater surged through the shattered cracks.

As the salty tang filled his mouth, Barkat recoiled in shock.

"You bitch! You're a hero, not a demon!"

He could not sense a single trace of demonic energy. Instead, she brimmed with the same power of the dimension as he did, giving him a sense of kinship.

And that was not all.

"And those strikes. That swordsmanship. The paths of your blade."

It was more than familiar. The strange sense of recognition he had felt at first had become clearer after a few exchanges.

How could he not recognize it? As the de facto leader of the southern alliance, Pablo Barkat had clashed with the Empire countless times.

It was not exactly the same, but that was only natural. Even the same sword style differed according to its practitioner.

"Why in the world is a hero of the Empire calling herself one of a Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings?"

"Does that matter?"

"Of course it matters! It absolutely matters! Do you have any idea how important proof that the imperial bastards have betrayed humanity—"

A line flashed through the air. Pablo hastily leaned back. The keen edge followed him like a snake, and his greatsword hurriedly slipped between them.

CLANG!

He retreated two steps to absorb the impact. Kaede advanced the same distance, striking once again.

"No. It makes little difference."

She murmured softly, as though making a declaration.

"Because no one here will escape today."

"A cowardly surprise attack! And you still call yourself a hero, you bitch?"

"Incorrect. I am the Dark Knight. And surprise attacks are only natural for a Demon King's servant."

Once Kaede seized the advantage, she did not let it go. She deflected every one of Pablo's strikes and thrust at his openings.

'He's strong.'

But weaker than Gordon.

'He's fast.'

But slower than she was.

Above all, his technique was incomplete. Compared to Gordon's nearly flawless swordsmanship, it was utterly crude and instinctive.

Fighting by instinct was not a bad thing. But here and now, at least, his instincts were not good enough to overcome Kaede.

Kaede advanced a step. Pablo retreated a step. Her sword grew faster, while his struggled merely to keep up.

The savagery and ferocity he prided himself on could not show their full strength when he was forced onto the defensive. No, that was not all.

'Impossible...!'

It felt as though he were swinging his sword inside a prison. Every side was blocked. Whenever he extended his blade, the Dark Knight unfailingly deflected it. The instant he strayed even slightly outside the prescribed bounds, a keen edge came flying at him.

Like a beast being trained, he accumulated wounds one by one.

"I am Pablo Barkat!"

The de facto leader of the southern alliance! One of the great Ten Stars! A great hero!

"Do you think I'll die being mocked by a bitch like you?"

He released all his aura at once. The sudden burst of repulsive force pushed Kaede back.

In that brief opening, Pablo swung his sword. A crimson wave tore through space toward her.

Kaede calmly cut through a gap in the wave. As the wave of aura split to either side, Pablo appeared within it, as though he had been waiting.

CLANG!

She blocked the blow but could not deflect it. The skull-rattling impact drove her feet through the Demon King's ice.

She wrapped her body in aura to absorb as much of the shock as possible. Summoning every ounce of strength, she forcibly twisted her sword. She twisted the aura and the space around it. Even her opponent's blade twisted.

Before he could so much as gasp, his sword followed Kaede's. Pablo staggered.

She drove her foot into the glaring opening.

THUD!

His armor crumpled as he was hurled backward. Kaede pursued him.

Pablo could not recover his stance. The distance between them was far too short. His opponent's sword was already poised to descend. All he could do was desperately pour out all his aura and adopt a defensive stance.

CRASH!

But the result was worse than he had imagined. His poorly honed aura shattered. His sword split in half.

"... This is impossible...!"

That brief cry became his last words.

SLASH!

Her sword cut across his chest. His armor tore like paper. Spraying a fountain of blood, he fell backward. Just as he tried to endure it and hold on, a fist slammed into his head.

THUMP!

Pablo collapsed.

Kaede raised her sword to finish him, then remembered Ernyan's request.

"... Keep him alive for now."

She had asked her to bring him to the tower.

Kaede slung him over her shoulder.

* * *

Ralph Schmitz was bewildered.

Since taking up his shield and receiving the title of Star, he had only ever endured force this powerful when facing a Demon King.

But his opponent was certainly not a Demon King.

It was a monster. A titan, yet not a titan—if his suspicions were correct, it was a chimera fitted with dragon materials.

'In that case.'

His gaze slipped between the descending fists to the masked woman sitting on the monster's shoulder, calmly looking down at him.

Ralph Schmitz had close ties to Roselle Charnt, which had naturally brought him into contact with the Kingdom of Akan as well.

That was why the figure looked fairly familiar. The chimera's appearance had changed, but traces of its former form remained.

If he was right, the woman calling herself the Commander of the Legion of Death was Lavinia Akan, the princess of the Kingdom of Akan who was reportedly missing. The monster before him was Cher, the titan chimera she commanded.

But could that really be true? However eccentric Lavinia Akan might be, would she become a Demon King's servant and turn against heroes?

He could not believe it. Yet as time passed and the battle intensified, his questions and conjectures gradually turned to certainty.

At last, he cautiously spoke.

"... Could you be Princess Lavinia?"

"Commander. Of the Legion of Death."

Her answer was a denial, but there was no denying that manner of speech.

"Why are you calling yourself a Demon King's subordinate, Your Highness?"

"Not. Your Highness."

"What do you mean, you're not? Only Your Highness speaks like that."

"No."

"I have met Your Highness—"

"No."

Her voice dropped lower. At some point, the monster had stopped attacking. She eased her head forward, and their eyes met.

"N. O."

Lavinia emphasized each letter distinctly.

When had it been? She had linked pinkies with the Demon King and promised never to reveal that she was a princess.

Therefore, she was not one.

But the oblivious hero failed to understand her meaning. She racked her brains to keep her promise.

["The highest priority is not to be discovered. If you are discovered, the best solution is to eliminate the witnesses. Once the witnesses disappear, you haven't been discovered anymore."]

The Demon King had said that in passing.

Corpses could not speak, and if there were witnesses, she merely had to make sure there were none. She had thought it an ingenious method.

And now the time had come to use it.

"... Your Highness?"

Ralph Schmitz noticed the murderous intent in Lavinia's eyes.

Its master's will reached the chimera. Cher roared, then breathed fire.

"... Good heavens."

A titan was spewing raging flames. This bizarre phenomenon, normally unimaginable, was possible only because it was a chimera—because the essences of a Red Dragon had been integrated so effectively.

He had no time to marvel at the wonder. That heat was aimed directly at Ralph Schmitz himself.

"... I understand."

THUD!

He planted his shield upright and wrapped it in aura.

BOOM!

Aura and flames tangled together.

"You must have been brainwashed, Your Highness."

Mind magic originated with demons. Surely Lavinia Akan had probably been abducted and brainwashed by the Demon King of Hellfire. Otherwise, why would she act as one of a Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings?

"I will save you, Your Highness."

She was Akan's princess. With so many outstanding mages, Akan would surely have a way to undo the brainwashing.

He advanced through the flames. Steadfastness was his strength. The power born from an unshakable defense was his specialty.

"Offense is the best defense."

It was an old maxim, passed down alongside the saying that those who desired peace should prepare for war. Long ago, Ralph Schmitz's master had said the following to persuade him to take up a shield.

["If offense is the best defense, you could say the reverse also holds true. In other words, defense is the best offense."]

["That sounds rather absurd."]

["Do you know why offense is the best defense?"]

["Because you protect yourself by annihilating the enemy before they can attack your allies?"]

["Correct. In that sense, saying defense is the best offense is also correct."]

["Pardon?"]

["Think about it. Someone attacks you. You know that defenders usually have an advantage over attackers, don't you?"]

["Yes."]

["A solid defense draws the enemy in. It consumes their manpower and supplies and drags them into a quagmire. That is an attack in a different sense from conventional offense."]

["But that's warfare. What does it have to do with me carrying a shield—"]

["It means you can make them lower their guard. If you carry only a shield, they'll think you're an idiot who can't even attack, won't they?"]

["Generally, yes."]

["But listen. A shield is heavier and thicker than most maces. A shield can even block those maces. What if you bash your opponent with it? I guarantee you, a shield is the finest blunt weapon in the world!"]

The finest blunt weapon. Captivated by those words, Ralph Schmitz had taken up a shield. He later learned that his master had said all that because shield techniques were all he knew, but by then Ralph was already enthralled by the shield's appeal.

CLICK!

He gripped the shield's handle with both hands and kicked off the ice. His body soared high.

The chimera's enormous fist blocked his path. He angled his shield and released a burst of aura. With a clang, the fist was knocked off course. Using the impact as a springboard, he climbed even higher.

Far below, he could see the chimera. He could see the brainwashed princess of Akan.

"Your Highness, allow me to show you why defense is the best offense."

Ralph plunged straight down. His thick shield hurtled toward the princess.

A massive fist blocked the way. There was no avoiding the fist thrusting directly toward him. Covered in crimson scales, it looked impossibly hard—but it was not harder than his shield.

CRAAASH!

The shield shuddered. The monster shrieked. With a sickening crunch, its fist twisted. Every muscle in Ralph's body strained as though it would tear.

But in the end, he prevailed. The shield held firm, and the fist was knocked aside.

The violent recoil had drained much of his strength, but he still had enough to knock out one princess whose only talent was making things.

The princess was right before him. Ralph smiled triumphantly.

But then—

THUNK!

A snow-white hand caught his shield with incredible ease.

"... Huh?"

That clash had sapped a great deal of his strength, but his attack was hardly weak.

"You. Bad."

The Commander of the Legion of Death was furious.

"Cher. Hurt."

A small fist drove into his chest. A snow-white, childlike hand. How much could it possibly hurt?

BOOOM!

Ralph cursed the self who had thought that one second earlier.

His aura shattered. His armor caved in. His breath caught.

The blow went no farther than that. But unable to absorb the impact, Ralph fell to the ground. Waiting for him there was the giant's foot.

"Stomp."

The commander ordered, and the giant obeyed.

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

Dozens of impacts. Ralph felt as though his entire body were being crushed.

That was his last memory.

"Get him out."

Cher picked up the unconscious Ralph Schmitz.

"Ernyan."

She did not like that he had dared to hurt Cher, but Ernyan had told her to avoid killing them if possible and imprison them in the tower instead.

"You."

Lavinia stopped a demonic creature passing by and placed Ralph on its shoulder.

"Tower."

GRRR.

The demonic creature turned toward the tower.

Lavinia surveyed the battlefield for her next prey.

* * *

BOOM!

BOOM!

The axe descended, tearing through space. The weight and power borne by its edge were so immense that even Watton Collo, a Star, could not disregard them.

'This is merely a Demon King's subordinate?'

Were all those called the Four Heavenly Kings like this?

In truth, this was his first time standing on a battlefield to slay a Demon King. More precisely, it was his first time seeing a Demon King and fighting nearby.

He had visited towers several times with raiding parties, but his first hero's journey had been the expedition against the Demon King of Hellfire. He had set out alongside Hillen Cargill, only to fail to find the tower, and after that he had somehow never joined another hero's journey.

But that did not mean he was unworthy of becoming a Star. Stars were the greatest of heroes, and Watton Collo was more than qualified.

"I am Watton Collo, a Great Star!"

"So what? Then I'm Louise Berft."

"... Pardon?"

But his opponent was a princess who, despite not being a hero, would become as great as a Star hero. She was a dwarf who had even acquired an axe forged from the finest material, dragon bone, by the finest craftsman, Logger.

"... You're saying... you're the princess?"

That unintended mental assault created an opening. An enormous one.

And Louise's instincts did not miss it.

CRASH!

"Gah...!"

Watton instinctively raised his sword, but there was not enough strength behind it. His aura did not flow smoothly.

The axe, imbued with a dragon's power, smashed straight through his sword and cleaved his armor too. Blood and flesh flew, and Watton screamed.

That single blow decided the fight.

"Are you really a Star? That was way too easy."

"... P-pretending to be the princess to make me lower my guard. C-cowardly."

"Who said I was pretending?"

"Y-you aren't...?"

"Of course not. Who would dare impersonate me?"

Louise lifted her mask slightly. The face visible beneath it was one Watton had definitely seen before.

"L-Louise Berft...!"

"I told you. I'm the real thing. Don't tell me you're going to say you couldn't fight properly because you were flustered?"

"But that's true—"

"Yeah, I know. That's why it's disappointing."

She had wanted a proper fight.

"But we can't redo a fight that's already decided, can we?"

CRUNCH!

She stomped on Watton.

"You're so boring I don't even feel like killing you anymore."

That crazy princess had told her not to kill him in the first place, though.

She grabbed the unconscious Watton by the ankle. Gauging the distance to the tower, she took a running start.

Then—

WHOOSH!

Watton's body flew toward the tower.

"Now, my next opponent..."

With her axe over her shoulder, Louise prowled in search of her next prey.

* * *

Inside the tower, the dwarves and elves still stood guard while all the demons and demonic creatures had gone out to face the heroes.

The dwarves operated the mana cannons against the levitation ship's bombardment, while Elena commanded the elves receiving those sent into the tower.

"A water bubble is coming!"

"That's my sister's power. Don't interfere."

The bubble flew like lightning. The instant it entered the tower, it dropped a person and evaporated.

"It's Aina Diaphrin."

"What should we do?"

"Handcuff her and put her in prison. A separate special cell, away from where the First Prince and the princesses are confined."

"Yes."

Two elves dragged her away.

"Here's another one."

"Lady Kaede."

Kaede had arrived unnoticed and set the hero down.

"Pablo Barkat. He's not dead, is he?"

"I believe he may be in danger without treatment."

"Then we'll take care of the rest."

"Please do."

Kaede roughly shook off the blood and returned to the battlefield.

A huge demonic creature passed her on its way inside.

"Why has a demonic creature come back?"

"There's someone on its shoulder!"

"Put him down!"

A blood-soaked hero was lowered to the floor.

"Ralph Schmitz. It seems Lady Lavinia won too."

"His armor's completely crushed and he's covered in blood. Isn't he dead?"

"He's still alive. Treat him and Lord Pablo Barkat properly, then handcuff them and put them in the cells next to Aina Diaphrin's—the one beside it and the one after that."

"Yes!"

After treating the Stars just enough to keep them alive, the elves disappeared again.

Just then—

"Something is flying toward us!"

"It's a person!"

"Don't attack recklessly!"

Elena summoned a wind. A gentle following breeze slowed the projectile and settled it on the floor.

"Watton Collo. Lady Louise won. That means all the Stars except Balaf Dislord have been subdued."

She had wondered if it was possible, but the Four Heavenly Kings had truly defeated all the Stars. Even allowing for the dragon's power they had received, there was no denying how impressive it was.

Elena and the elves felt victory drawing near.

"Quickly give him some basic treatment and put him in prison too!"

"Yes!"

"But will he send that one here alive as well?"

Elena followed the elf's pointing finger.

At the center of the battlefield, a Demon King and a hero fought, shattering all the ice around them. Their battle was fiercer and more destructive than any of the others. None of the nearby demonic creatures, demons, or heroes could even muster the courage to approach.

"... Who knows?"

Elena fell silent for a moment.

But she already knew the answer. Because this was the first time she had ever seen the Demon King reveal such intense murderous intent without restraint.