"Hah... hah..."

Ellen dashed through the corridors of the battleship, slicing through the undead that appeared in her path with a single flash of her sword.

Before the bodies of the slain undead could even fall apart and collapse to the floor, she was already past them.

Her body, having undergone physical enhancement treatments as a knight and forged through the grueling training of the One-Flash Style, moved at a speed impossible for an ordinary human.

"The unpleasant presence is growing stronger. And within it... I can feel Master's presence."

Ever since boarding the Galn, Ellen had also been able to sense the evil presence Liam had spoken of.

Still, she had only been able to sense it after coming aboard.

While amazed by Liam's abnormally keen perception, Ellen was also happy to be reminded of her master's greatness.

She was glad to feel the greatness of the man she respected, but at the same time, she felt a pang of frustration.

"If I don't hurry and join him, I won't be able to witness Master's fight with my own eyes."

She had spent too much time dealing with the Roman swordsmanship.

She ran down the corridor, filled with regret.

And so, using the fallen undead in the hallway as a guide, Ellen finally reached the audience chamber.

"Master!"

A dense, evil presence poured out of the room like black smoke, completely obscuring any view of the inside.

Ellen leaped into the room despite its state, searching for Liam.

Then, her eyes fell upon the figure of Farabale, from whom a negative aura was overflowing.

He was swinging a greatsword with just his right arm.

He was the very incarnation of violence, but the one opposing him was Liam.

Ellen felt a sense of unease seeing him with his favorite sword—one he usually wouldn't even bother to draw from its sheath—unsheathed and its blade exposed.

Ellen furrowed her brow.

(Could it be... Master is being pushed into a corner?)

When she looked for Rinho and Fuuka, she found them both sitting on the floor.

Rinho was using her longsword like a cane, but her gaze was not on Liam and Farabale, but on Fuuka.

She seemed less surprised and more... dumbfounded.

Fuuka, on the other hand, was looking straight at Liam.

His breathing was ragged and he seemed quite exhausted, but—he wore a refreshed expression.

What happened while I was gone?

Swallowing that question, Ellen returned her gaze to Liam.

When Liam saw that Ellen had returned, he backed away from Farabale to create some distance.

Liam, who had come near Ellen, was in a crouched position, tightly gripping his sword in his right hand.

His breathing was ragged, and his pilot suit was in tatters.

"You're finally here. I was waiting for you."

"M-Master... what happened to you?"

Never having imagined that Liam could be pushed this far, Ellen's voice trembled with confusion.

A smile played on Liam's lips.

His helmet must have broken, as his head was exposed.

—Even his favorite sword's blade was noticeably chipped and cracked.

This sight spoke volumes of the fierce battle with Farabale.

Liam swept his sweaty hair back with his hand, slicking it back, and took a deep breath.

"I was just playing around because there was something I wanted to get out of the self-proclaimed Demon Lord."

As Ellen stood dumbfounded by this outrageous answer, Farabale began to laugh.

"This is the first time I've had such an enjoyable time! I wish we could keep fighting like this forever, but—I and my fleet are nearing our limits. Lord Liam—this is the end."

Farabale's form was also tattered.

His armor was covered in countless wounds, and upon closer inspection, his greatsword was also in shambles.

His skeleton was also cracked, and black smoke was seeping out from several of the wounds.

As if proof of the strain, Farabale placed his left hand on his deepest wound.

As the battle-worn Farabale declared this would be the last, Liam sheathed his sword.

"I've heard what I wanted to hear. You're of no more use to me."

Hearing Liam's cold words, Farabale laughed gleefully, his bones rattling.

He showed no sign of blaming Liam for his disrespectful attitude.

"If I win, it seems I won't be bored from now on. Now then—"

As Farabale gripped the hilt of his greatsword with both hands and took a stance, Liam held his sheathed sword horizontally before his eyes.

Seeing Liam take the stance to unleash his ultimate One-Flash, Ellen saw a hallucination in his form.

(Huh? What's that?)

It looked as if small, sparkling golden lights were gathering around Liam, making him shine.

◇

Facing Liam, Farabale held his greatsword, as if whipping his battered body into action.

(Ah, what a magnificent hero! This is the very image of the hero I have long sought!)

This was the scene visible to the inhuman Farabale: behind Liam, he could see a giant, bare from the waist up.

It wore a mask that covered its mouth, and its long hair swayed.

It wore gauntlets on both arms and gripped a drawn sword in its right hand.

(I never thought a human capable of gathering this much positive energy—the counterpart to negative energy—could exist. The world is vast indeed! To encounter such a talent is nothing short of a miracle!)

The true nature of the golden light was the prayers of the people.

And it also seemed as if the World Tree and the stars themselves were aiding Liam.

(Gathering the prayers and wishes of billions—no, tens of billions—he stands against me, the destroyer of worlds. Lord Liam is truly the true hero... If I could, I would have wanted to fight on for much longer. And also—)

Farabale had been speaking as if he could win against Liam, but the outcome had already been decided.

Farabale was... already on the verge of ruin.

Farabale spoke.

"After I defeat you, I shall pay a visit to the Sword God, Lord Yasushi. If he is your master, it would not be a waste for me to go myself."

For Farabale, this was the highest form of praise.

However, Liam did not seem to appreciate it.

"You, who can't even defeat me, are a hundred years too early to meet my master."

"A hundred years!? Is a hundred years all it takes? Kukuku! If that's all, I'll wait as long as you like. Well, no matter. Then—"

Even making small talk was becoming difficult, so Farabale decided to unleash one final, all-out strike.

"—Here I come."

Farabale's all-or-nothing strike was so powerful that even the Galn, with its self-repair function, seemed to scream, unable to withstand it.

It was a blow that seemed capable of not only destroying the Galn but also annihilating the allied fleet along with it.

—But.

"One-Flash."

When Liam unleashed his One-Flash, he cut through that immensely powerful attack along with Farabale himself.

A horizontal gash appeared across Farabale's chest.

The wound glowed with a golden light, and a massive amount of black smoke spewed from Farabale's body.

"Gah!"

Farabale dropped to his knees and collapsed, letting go of his greatsword.

Farabale, who had only ever dealt death, was now finally on the receiving end.

Even in such a state, Farabale was smiling.

"Magnificent—truly magnificent!"

◇

Even after taking the One-Flash, Farabale didn't vanish completely; instead, he slowly began to crumble and fade away.

I couldn't obliterate him in an instant.

As I was feeling the lack of my training, Farabale spoke to me.

"The hero who defeated the Demon Lord... deserves a reward... does he not?"

"Huh? Everything you own is already mine."

By the victor's privilege, I intended to take all of Farabale's possessions.

However, Farabale was smiling.

"Many of my things cannot be used simply by taking them. You should accept this reward from me. Use it for Lord Liam's ship."

The ship's interior shook, and a sphere thirty meters in diameter shot out from the floor.

Pulsating as it moved, it broke through the room and headed towards the Argos.

"What did you do?"

"It is the device that controlled the undead fleet. I no longer have need of it, so I give it to you. Use it as you please from now on."

It seems that even now, he has no intention of taking us down with him.

You could call it graceful, but I wish he'd shown this grace much earlier.

"Don't do unnecessary things to my ship."

"Kuku... a foul-mouthed hero to the very end, Lord Hero."

"I'm no hero. If anything, I'm one of the villains."

Me, an evil lord, a hero? I wondered what he was thinking, but Farabale laughed and denied my thought.

"It is impossible for a villain to destroy me. Besides, he who defeats the Demon Lord is the hero. —The values of good and evil are not needed there."

What a stubborn guy, refusing to bend his opinion.

"Do whatever you want."

"Fufu... If I could be greedy, I would have liked to fight the Sword God, Lord Yasushi, as well. I wonder just how strong he is? Even as I'm perishing, my heart can't help but pound with excitement."

Does this guy even have a heart to pound?

And so, as Farabale's body vanished, leaving only his skeleton—

"Let us praise the true hero! And let my voice reach all worlds it can, to tell them that the strongest Sword God resides in this world. I acknowledge it—Lord Liam is the true hero! And Lord Yasushi is the strongest swordsman!!"

With that final shout, Farabale disappeared.

Seeing that, my true thoughts slipped out.

"Stating the obvious."

As I let out a small sigh, Ellen came running up to me.

"M-Master!"

Ellen was about to hug me, but before she could—

"Big Brother! I... I!"

—Fuuka threw his arms around my back.

I placed my right hand on the sobbing Fuuka's head and patted it, a bit roughly.

"Looks like both you and I need to retrain."

"Yeah. I'll do my best. I'll get stronger."

"I see."

As I was patting Fuuka, Ellen watched us in silence.

She was probably trying to act like a mature woman, but from my perspective, it was plain to see that she looked lonely.

Thinking I'd praise her later, I turned my gaze to Rinho, who couldn't join our circle.

There, I saw Rinho staring intently at Fuuka.

◇

When we returned to the Argos, it was rather noisy.

I thought the battle situation had worsened, but that wasn't the case.

Rather—

"The enemy fleet isn't moving?"

"Y-Yes. Most of the remaining enemy forces have gone silent. The enemy ships that are left seem to be the ones that didn't become undead."

The one giving this vague report was Eulisia, her hair disheveled and her face exhausted.

She seemed apologetic, as if aware of how uncertain her report was.

"And what about our casualties?"

"Minimal. Also, there was a report from His Excellency Klaus."

"What is it?"

"He says he's captured the retreating Crown Prince. He's apparently just holding him in custody until he receives Lord Liam's instructions, but—"

Eulisia was asking how to handle Cleo, but I was more surprised by Klaus's success.

"He sortied too?"

"Yes. Lady Christiana and Lady Marie were grinding their teeth when they heard this report."

"I bet. Now I'll have to give Klaus a star or something."

As I cackled, Eulisia's cheek twitched.

"Lord Liam, isn't there something else you should be concerned about first?"

When Eulisia glanced around the bridge, the crew members were also looking at me.

Well, I can understand how they feel.

"It's a present from the skeleton who called himself the Demon Lord. Let's just gratefully accept it."

"I can't accept an explanation like that! Why is the Argos, which was on the verge of being destroyed, back to its pre-sortie condition?! Not only its energy, but even its live ammunition has been replenished! I'm being asked for an explanation from all over, so please tell me properly!"

Being pressed by Eulisia, I started to think this might be Farabale's way of harassing me.

Apparently, the Argos has been fully repaired, and its supplies have been restocked.

—Well, anyone would be suspicious if something like this suddenly happened.

"Don't ask me. If you have a complaint, take it up with Farabale."

"But you're the one who defeated him, Lord Liam!"

—That's true.