But Gaou's fist missed Ryujin's head, passing through empty air.

Ryujin had danger sense, of course, and he had foreseen the punch coming at the back of his head. He had waited until the last moment to move his head sideways, dodging the punch.

The punch whizzed past his face with a whoosh. As he watched it fly by, Ryujin extended his leg and tripped his attacker.

Gaou fell, rolling across the ground. He finally stopped after rolling tens of meters, but he was covered in scratches and cuts.

Gaou: "Damn… you… you did it…"

His sneak attack had been a complete failure.

But Gaou was impulsive, and it was highly likely he would rush at Ryujin again. If he did, he would be sent back to the dungeon.

In a panic, Raiou and the others rushed to where Ryujin was. They decided it was better to all be teleported again and start over, rather than risk Gaou being sent back alone. They were a surprisingly close-knit party.

The five members of the Blazing Heroes stood before Ryujin.

Ryuu: "You're back. You were quick. As expected of A-rank adventurers, you're skilled. But a sneak attack? That’s a pretty cowardly move, don't you think?"

Houou: "…Shut up. You’re the one who used a cowardly trap like teleportation."

Ryuu: "A teleportation trap? I see, so you were trying to avoid being teleported again and aimed for a surprise attack. That's not bad. But…"

A magic circle appeared beneath Raiou and the others.

Raiou: "Damn it!"

Raiou drew his sword, just in case, and tried to cut the ground beneath his feet, but he only managed to carve a groove in the dirt. The magic circle didn’t disappear.

In a flash, they were all back in the dungeon.

…

However, this time, something was different.

The place was the same grassland field as before, but there were no monsters. And somehow, Ryujin was teleported with them.

Raiou: "…What are you doing?"

Raiou spoke, confirming that Ryujin was there.

Ryuu: "Nothing in particular. It would be ‘annoying’ to be ambushed again, so I thought we might as well settle this here."

Raiou: "You’re a fool. It seems you want to feel pain."

Ryuu: "That’s what I’m saying. You’re probably not going to understand even if I explain it with words, so you'll have to experience it to understand."

The magic sword, Fargaluth, appeared in Ryujin’s hand.

Shoou: "Be careful! This is bad! We need to attack as a group!"

Shoou, a mage, felt the ominous aura of the magic sword Fargaluth and warned the others, but his companions were slow to react, not understanding the danger.

Raiou: "What are you saying? It’s a shame for an S-rank party to attack as a group against an F-rank."

Gaou: "I’ll do it! I'm not going to be satisfied until I get my revenge for that last time."

Ryuu: "You just attacked and fell on your own."

Gaou: "You… I was only going to beat you half to death, but now I’m going to kill you.”

Raiou: "Hey, hey, don't kill him. We'll fail the mission."

Seiou: "Well, if he's still in one piece, I think I can use recovery magic to save him before he dies…"

…

…

…

Ryuu: "So you’re a boxer, huh?"

Gaou: "That's right. My fists are my weapons! But you’re using that sword. I'll beat you down before you can even swing it!"

Ryuu: "No. I'll fight you hand-to-hand, even though I just pulled out my sword."

Ryujin withdrew the magic sword Fargaluth from his hand. Seeing that, Raiou and the others looked surprised, but Gaou didn't seem to care.

Gaou: "You’ve got guts. Let's go!"

Gaou charged forward using his Godspeed. He activated Blink a few meters in front of Ryujin, suddenly appearing right in front of him and punching. He had killed almost all of his enemies with this "Diving Punch."

But Ryujin could anticipate the attack because he could read minds. Ryujin narrowly dodged Gaou’s right straight and moved sideways to avoid his trajectory, hitting Gaou’s body with a fist.

It was a counterpunch, and the power of Gaou's rush was added to Ryujin’s attack. And then there was Ryujin’s strength.

Gaou’s upper body, bent further than a 90-degree angle, fell to the ground. He was motionless, in a forward bend.

Ryuu: "Did I kill him?"

He pushed Gaou’s folded upper body over with his foot, but he wasn’t dead, just unconscious.

But Houou, who thought Ryujin had kicked his fallen teammate, was angry.

Houou: "You… you kick a fallen opponent! You're a real coward, what with that teleportation trap and all."

Ryuu: "Coward? You're the one who’s doing the sneak attack, you know."

Houou: "I'll be your opponent next."

Houou drew his sword and continued.

Houou: "Let me tell you upfront, I'm not a coward like you. I’m a magic swordsman. I can use both magic and swordsmanship. This is the magic sword, Mazulfi. It increases the power of magic attacks and boosts its owner's magical power."

Ryuu: "I see. Then here's mine."

Ryujin’s magic sword reappeared.

Ryuu: "This sword is Fargaluth. It can cut anything, and wounds inflicted by this sword cannot be healed with healing magic or potions."

Houou’s expression changed upon hearing the special effects of the magic sword Fargaluth.

Houou: "…Your weapon is also cowardly…"

Ryuu: "Oh… I guess it’s a bit overpowered when you think about it, huh? Right, I bought some normal swords, too. I’ll fight you with one of those."

He had borrowed a sword from a knight during his duel with the prince, and he had gone to the shop and bought several normal weapons to use in cases where he didn’t need to use his magic sword. He had bought them but never had the chance to use them, so it was a good opportunity.

Ryuu: "Uh… is this good enough?"

Ryujin pulled a sword out of his subspace storage. He had chosen a sturdy-looking steel sword that matched his strength. It was a huge greatsword.

Houou: "You… you can wield that sword?"

Ryujin effortlessly swung the greatsword with one hand, creating a terrifying whistling sound. It was just the right size for Ryujin, considering his strength was ten times that of a normal human.

Ryuu: "You can use your magic sword. You’re a magic swordsman, right?"

Houou: "O, ok…"

Houou hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should refrain from using his magic sword because Ryujin had withdrawn his, but seeing the speed at which Ryujin was swinging his greatsword, he decided to take Ryujin up on his offer and use his magic sword.

…

…

…

Raiou: "F-rank, huh? He’s right. Ranks don’t mean anything."

Shoou: "We thought it would be an easy job, but it turns out this is a really dangerous request…"

Seiou: "I told you, it was absolutely insane to request an A-rank or higher for an F-rank target."

Raiou: "Hey, how did he know that Gaou was a boxer? Does he have the Appraisal skill?"

Shoou: "His eyes (golden eyes)… Maybe he’s the owner of a magic eye."

Their whispers didn’t reach Houou, who was facing Ryujin.

…

…

…

Next Time

The Blazing Heroes struggle to fight Ryujin, on the verge of tears…

Don’t miss it!