Abandoning command of the adventurers, slashing through the obstructive monsters to carve a path of blood, Lilith cut straight through the battlefield.
"Back off! Do NOT get in my way!"
Discarding her usual dignified demeanor and pushing forward with the tone she used when she was raised as a knight, Lilith now raced through the battlefield, not as an adventurer, but as a lone former knight.
In the chaos of battle, she chased after a shadow she glimpsed, relentlessly running. The monsters attacking her were dispatched with a single stroke, slayed with sheer momentum.
As a result of charging straight forward,
"---I’ve caught up."
Appearing before Lilith, who emanated a murderous aura, was a single demon.
A muscular giant, brandishing a halberd that exceeded his own height, with a pair of twisted horns growing from his head. Such a demon stood on the battlefield, leading a horde of monsters.
When the demon recognized Lilith, he narrowed his eyes disdainfully.
"Inferior human, what business do you have with me, a demon?"
He asked, with an attitude of utter contempt. In contrast, Lilith stood silently, calm as a placid lake surface, but her eyes brimmed with a dark, murderous intent.
---Do not forgive.
Hatred surged from within her heart. Her dark emotions urged her to quickly kill the demon before her eyes.
---Avenge the young lady.
Her emotions were on the verge of exploding. She was tempted to succumb to her anger and slay the demon right then and there.
---Lilith.
What stopped her foot as it began to step forward, ready to leap into attack, was the voice of the young girl whom she had once served as a master.
The warm voice, like a gentle sunbeam, enveloped her rising dark emotions.
That’s right, what she needed to do was not revenge. She hadn’t become strong for such a reason. She had become strong so she wouldn’t lose anything ever again, so she could protect.
Releasing the tension from the swords gripped in her hands, Lilith let out a heated breath as if expelling her emotions.
She had almost forgotten the promise with her master. That thought was unbearably shameful, and at the same time, she was thankful to the young lady, her former master, who reminded her of it.
The former knight, who was about to be imprisoned by revenge, calmed her heart, and with a somewhat clear mind, she observed the demon before her once again. In a battle, information about the opponent is crucial and can sometimes be the factor that determines victory or defeat. Therefore, Lilith extracted as much information as she could from the demon's appearance.
It was clear from the demon’s appearance that he was proficient in close combat. This was obvious from the long halberd in his hand and his well-trained physique. But that didn’t mean he only had abilities for close combat.
Generally, it was human common sense that demons excelled in handling magic. The robust body was indeed terrifying, but the magic was indeed what needed the most attention.
Facing the demon, Lilith quietly readied her sword. Seeing this, the demon man distorted his face not with derision, but with pure anger.
"How dare you, tiny human, think to face me in battle alone. There’s a limit to mockery, little girl...!"
The demon, perceiving that he was being looked down upon, swung his halberd angrily, stirring up a whirlwind that raised a cloud of dust with a roar.
That spin stopped precisely. The sharply pointed tip was fixed, aimed at Lilith.
The power to swing such a massive weapon, as well as the skill to wield it, were not ordinary. It was backed by certain training and experience.
Lilith shuddered involuntarily. This was not a shudder of fear. The atmosphere of a strong adversary felt through actual confrontation excited her battle-mania side.
"I have a question."
With her eyes fixed on the man, Lilith spoke.
"You’re the demon leading these monsters, aren’t you?"
"What would change if I tell you?"
The demon man showed no intention of answering Lilith’s question, dismissively retorting.
Anticipating that response, Lilith let a sly smile cross her face, provocatively stating,
"Well, if I defeat you, this army will collapse, right? If that happens, a chance of victory might appear for us."
The man raised his eyebrows at the clearly intentional provocation.
"...You talk big, little girl. Very well. I will crush every single piece of your bones!"
The man, who had lost his cool from being provoked by an opponent he looked down upon, shouldered his halberd and glared at Lilith as if he intended to shoot her dead.
Lilith parried his gaze, secretly smirking inside.
In one-on-one combat, gaining a psychological advantage is crucial, as well as obtaining information about the opponent. Even if one possesses a potent weapon and innate talent, an immature mind may cause one to lose even a winnable battle.
Especially against demons, who tend to look down on humans, gaining the initial psychological advantage through provocation was substantial. Especially since the opponent was a demon with extraordinary physical and magical strength.
The calm Lilith and the man, scattering his "But still, there are irremediable injustices in the world.
The man whom Lilith had unwaveringly watched disappeared abruptly. No, it just appeared as though he vanished. Barely, Lilith was able to perceive the man bending down and then soaring upwards.
Therefore, she immediately shifted her gaze upwards, readying her sword against the expected strike. But she quickly realized that simply deflecting it would be a bad move.
'Nwoooooooo!!'
The airborne man aimed to smash down his halberd, hoisted over his shoulder, like a massive hammer. The momentum was so overpowering that it seemed foolish to even consider parrying it, akin to a huge rock plummeting from above.
Lilith, obeying the crisis her instincts screamed of, energetically leaped back from the spot. A moment later, the spot where she stood was hammered by the halberd, reinforced with muscular power, body weight, and downward momentum.
—Zudon!
The ground trembled with the impact. The ground, shattered brutally by the halberd, scattered large and small fragments in every direction.
Lilith, momentarily immobilized by the trembling ground, was assailed by the shards from the shattered ground.
'Kuh...!'
While losing her balance, Lilith quickly swung both of her swords, knocking down the incoming debris, but a piercing thrust was unleashed, seizing the moment of her vulnerability.
Lilith avoided the halberd's tip, which sought to penetrate her skull, by collapsing to the ground. She then rolled several times across the ground to put distance between them, escaping the follow-up attack.
'Tch, got away...'
Annoyed, the man clicked his tongue and held his halberd like a burden on his back, probably preparing for a quick draw. The way he leaned forward slightly, glaring at Lilith, resembled a beast stalking its prey.
On the other hand, Lilith had managed to gauge the relative power between them in that brief exchange.
His attacks were lethal, and deflecting the downward strikes was exceedingly difficult. An improper deflection could injure her arm or break her sword. The situation was quite disadvantageous as she couldn't transition into her favored style.
But, it wasn't without a chance for victory.
The opponent lacked composure and moved rather linearly. Moreover, seemingly obsessed with crushing her as declared, he didn’t employ any finer techniques. This was a fortunate circumstance for Lilith.
Collecting her ragged breath, Lilith poised her sword anew. She withdrew her right foot, positioning her right-hand sword similarly to the man's stance. What this stance implied was—
'—Hmph!'
Exhaling sharply, this time Lilith attacked.
Closing the gap swiftly to dive into his bosom, the man swung down his halberd to intercept.
'Nwoah!!'
Against the halberd, cleaving through the air and approaching, Lilith didn’t back away but stepped even further in. Doing so, she escaped the range of the halberd's blade. However, dodging the blade didn't mean the threat had passed.
The halberd, though hard to handle, if mastered, could deliver a diverse array of attacks, such as slashing, thrusting, and sweeping, making it a versatile weapon. Even if its slashing attack was dodged and the opponent invaded its user’s space, it could sweep with its shaft or slash with the counter blade.
When Lilith dived into his space, the man countered by forcefully changing the direction of his swinging momentum horizontally to sweep her away.
Lilith was assailed by the halberd’s shaft, shifting from vertical to horizontal. However, she seemed to have anticipated this, or rather, seemed to have been waiting for it, as she charged forward.
The unexpectedly close approach slightly shook the man, causing a faint looseness in his grip. Lilith would not let this opportunity escape.
Lilith placed the belly of her left sword onto the approaching halberd shaft and, sliding it along the spear's movement, deeply slashed the man’s right hand.
'Guuh—!!'
Severe pain assaulted the man's right hand, causing him to involuntarily release his grip on the halberd with one hand. The halberd, now controlled by just one hand, defied the man’s will, slowing and significantly diverting its course.
Lilith found the now sluggish and less powerful strike to be her perfect prey.
She deflected the assaulting shaft with the sword in her right hand and, dancing as though twirling in place, rotated. A sharp slash, empowered by the rotational momentum, was drawn to the man’s throat.
'—Gopaa!?'
The man's throat was gashed widely open. Whatever shout he tried to produce was muddied by blood, as a gush of vibrant red spewed energetically from his throat.
—Impossible...!?
With eyes wide in astonishment, the demon man slowly collapsed to the ground.
Ensuring that the demon man was utterly lifeless, Lilith loosened her tense nerves. While they were in the enemy’s heartland, leaving no room to let her guard down, the first battle against a demon had severely frayed her nerves. She needed to return her mind to tranquility.
Upon reaching that thought, Lilith abruptly looked around.
The monsters, keeping distance to avoid being drawn into Lilith’s fight, remained utterly still, even though the battle had concluded. It was as if they were waiting for something to arrive.
'What’s...'
Lilith, sensing the anomaly and bracing herself, that's when it happened.
'—For a human, you’ve done quite well.'
A solemn voice echoed through the battlefield.
An oppressive weight Hence, I must stop them here, no matter what. Even if this life is to be utterly exhausted, I will stop them.
Whipping her worn-out body into action, Lilith readies her sword. Opposing her, the demon man glances at the man Lilith has downed, letting out a small sigh.
"Six more to go, huh..."
With a slightly self-deprecating smile, the demon man calmly locks eyes with Lilith.
"You seem quite skilled. How about you entertain me for a bit?"
Though his tone is gentle, unbecoming of a battlefield, it carries an undeniable force.
Silently, Lilith readies her sword in response. The man allows a thin smile to cross his face.
Before Lilith stands a demon—Ruvius Dragunir.