“…That concludes my report.”

Curtis, the vice-captain of the Starvanger Knight Order, finally finished speaking. His face showed nothing but exhaustion.

“You’ve worked hard,” said the Count.

The knight-captain added right after, “You’ve done well, Captain.”

Curtis turned and stared at her silently.

Catching his look, Ashley—the captain of the Starvanger Knight Order—hurriedly corrected herself.

“No, what I mean is… You’ve done well, Vice-Captain Curtis.”

Curtis pressed his forehead and let out a sigh.

“How long are you going to keep doing this?”

Ashley’s cheeks turned red.

“I–It was a slip of the tongue.”

“You even did it in front of the members last time.”

“…I’ll be more careful from now on.”

Curtis let out another sigh as he looked at the young blonde woman shifting nervously, sneaking glances at him.

Ashley Grandalder. The knight-captain of the Starvanger Knight Order.

Called the Golden Flash, she was a genius in swordsmanship, far surpassing even himself.

Those who had seen her delicate yet lightning-swift swordplay couldn’t help but acknowledge her brilliance.

But was she lacking in the charisma to lead others? Not at all.

Her ability to remain calm in dangerous moments—making quick and precise decisions—was her true strength and the order’s greatest treasure.

Her words had saved knights more than once, and thus carried great weight.

She never had to raise her voice. The members naturally followed her.

She carried bold charisma and the unshakable trust forged through blood.

A burning heart with a cool, rational mind.

She was, without question, the very image of a perfect leader.

So when the time came to choose a successor after Curtis stepped down, it hadn’t been strange that she was unanimously chosen.

And yet…

“…Haa.”

Curtis sighed again, rubbing his face.

Why was it that before him, of all people, she always reverted back to that wide-eyed child he’d once known?

He could never understand it.

“Right now, the captain of the Starvanger Knight Order is you. Don’t forget that, not even for a moment.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind, Captain.”

“….”

“I mean—Vice-Captain Curtis.”

Watching the two of them with an unreadable smile, the Count of Starvanger finally spoke.

“Sir Curtis. You must be exhausted. Go on and take your rest.”

“Yes.”

Curtis pushed back his chair and rose to his feet.

The Count stood as well, and Ashley jumped up like a new recruit facing her drill sergeant.

“Then, I’ll excuse myself.”

Curtis gave a simple bow to both the Count and Ashley before turning to leave.

“W–Wait, Vice-Captain Curtis.”

He turned to find Ashley fidgeting, sneaking nervous glances his way.

“What is it, Captain Ashley?”

“Um… when do you plan on officially accepting the captaincy…?”

Curtis sighed.

“I told you before. I am not fit to be captain.”

“But…”

“The members would object fiercely. Wasn’t this matter already settled?”

“B–But you caught that Mad Linda, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t catch her. Linda came to seek out the Devil herself.”

“It just seemed like… she was following your orders well, Vice-Captain.”

“She only listened because the Devil ordered her to.”

“Still…”

Watching her falter, Curtis lowered his voice.

“Captain Ashley.”

She snapped her head up like a child caught sneaking sweets.

“Y–Yes?”

“Is there some problem?”

“No, but…”

“Then that’s all there is to it.”

Curtis turned without hesitation and reached for the doorknob.

But just as he was about to leave, the gazes of all three in the room shifted at once toward the window.

Dark, ominous clouds swirled in the sky, and beneath them crimson lightning crashed down.

“…!”

All three leapt out the window without hesitation.

KWA-ROOOM! CRACKLE!

Scarlet lightning poured endlessly onto the towering blade.

Wolfgang stood with a smug grin, clutching his blood-red sword as the bolts rained down, posing as though the world itself were his stage.

I glanced at him, then asked Heavenly Demon, “So… you’re saying there’s a way?”

[There is always a way.]

“What would you do if it were you, Master?”

[Hmph. I’d just beat him half to death, enough so he couldn’t move.]

“…If that were possible, I wouldn’t have called you.”

[True enough. It’s still beyond you.]

“I know that.”

[But as I said, there is always a way. Part of the fun is discovering which one works.]

“Quit enjoying yourself and tell me the method.”

Even as the situation grew urgent, Heavenly Demon stayed calm and unhurried.

Like someone leisurely wondering what to have for dinner.

[The proper solution is always to start with the source of the problem.]

“The source…”

There was only one.

That damned crimson sword. The vile, wretched blade.

It hadn’t been dormant at all—it had only been lying in wait.

Waiting, biding its time until someone would wield it.

“So the sword itself has to be torn from his hand.”

[Exactly. Once you trace the problem to its root, the answer becomes simple.]

“I don’t want to cut off his arm.”

Heavenly Demon grinned.

[So you’ve chosen the harder path.]

“…Don’t people usually say, ‘the harder road’?”

[In that case… hmm.]

“What. What is it?”

[The more I watch, the more it reminds me of Demonic Humans losing control. They tend to go berserk in the same way. Noisy, but similar.]

“Demonic Humans?”

[That’s what we call those who train in Demonic Arts.]

“Demonic Arts?”

[Think of them as powerful but dangerously unstable techniques.]

“Ahh. So this is what they call deviation into madness?”

[Just a step further, and he’ll be lost to it.]

So he was already standing on the very edge.

“…Quite the critical situation.”

Heavenly Demon asked, [Your arm—does it still hold?]

I flexed my left hand.

It moved better than expected. Tattered, but still serviceable.

“Compared to what that Ice Bastard did to me, this is nothing.”

[Listen carefully. Nothing is more effective in subduing an opponent than controlling their qi and blood. Controlling qi and blood means controlling the body itself.]

“Mhm.”

[As you know, the body is merely a vessel that moves according to the flow of qi. To control qi is to control the body. Pressure points are one such method.]

“But it didn’t work.”

[Those consumed by inner demons and driven to frenzy cannot be subdued with pressure points. Their qi and blood are already twisted.]

“I’ve confirmed that myself.”

[The key here is not to control the qi and blood, but the qi itself. Qi and blood are only the means of control, not the true goal. Do you understand?]

“Mhm.”

[Do you understand?]

“A little.”

[Then the answer is simple—kill him for a moment.]

“…What?”

I blanked out for a second.

Seriously, this master of mine.

“Master, I asked how to subdue him, not kill him. Killing I can manage well enough on my own.”

It was obvious—subduing someone was far harder than simply killing them.

[Not kill him entirely, just for a brief moment. Temporarily.]

“…? And what difference does that make?”

Heavenly Demon explained with a note of exasperation.

[It means you halt the very flow of his qi for a moment, then seize the sword. Do you understand?]

“Is that even possible?”

[The organ that governs blood flow is the heart. Strike the heart with just the right force and it will stop for a very brief instant—along with the blood flow.]

“Oh…”

I hadn’t even considered such a method.

Stopping the bloodstream by forcing the heart into stillness.

[Since you’ve reached the realm of the Waning Moon, use the force of the Waning Moon and strike his heart. It will be close, but it can be done.]

“Waning Moon’s force. Into his heart. Got it.”

[Or you could just cut off his arm.]

“I’ll try first. That’ll be the last resort.”

[You’ll have to risk your life.]

“When have I not?”

Just then, after gorging on crimson lightning, Wolfgang charged forward with his blade.

Scarlet lightning clung to the weapon’s surface, flaring bright.

The moment it swelled to bursting, I tilted my head aside.

CRACK!

The searing bolt grazed past my ear.

The stench of singed hair filled my nose.

A chill shot down my spine.

Even the faintest graze would’ve killed me outright.

And Wolfgang, lost in madness, was flinging around that kind of strike without thought. No wonder Ophosis had warned against that sword.

I quickly retreated, waiting for his next move.

No matter what, I had to try. Killing him outright now would only leave me with a bitter taste.

From the broken half of my sword, I flared crimson aura to form a complete blade.

From a distance, it might look like two crimson fiends locked in an equal duel.

“GRRAAAH!”

The red fiend lunged.

I focused all my attention on his incoming blade and the lightning crawling across it.

The tip trembled violently.

That, at least, was fortunate.

Carefully, I angled my sword and guided his strike aside—like letting water flow past.

SPARK!

The clash was brief, sparks snapping where the blades kissed.

The power was immense, but the attack itself wasn’t as dangerous as when he’d been in his right mind.

The less the tip trembled, the harder it was to divert.

The lightning didn’t crawl up my blade, either. A direct hit would’ve meant unimaginable agony, but I’d managed to avoid that.

Thanks to the broken sword channeled with aura, the current never reached me. Another stroke of luck.

I almost laughed at myself—finding silver linings even in this mess.

But the misfortune wasn’t over. Deflecting the sword was only half the problem.

In its wake, a spray of blood unfurled along the sword’s path.

“…!”

Among the crimson droplets, sparks of lightning flickered.

The instant I saw them, I threw myself left.

CRACK!

The blood-splatter burst with sparks as it hit the grass, leaving it charred black.

“…Shit.”

“RAAAH!”

Wolfgang charged relentlessly again.

It wasn’t enough to block his crazed swings—I also had to dodge those deadly blood-sprays laced with lightning.

I added that to my list of dangers and continued trading blows.

At the same time, with my free left hand, I quietly gathered moonlight.

“You beast. I’ll leash you.”

I fought and watched for an opening.

Surely, he’d tire eventually.

But in the end, he didn’t.

It was as though he was burning his very life until nothing remained—like a candle flaring before it died.

Instead, the lightning along his blade slowly weakened.

Finally, the blood-sprays no longer carried sparks.

Wolfgang’s blade was drained.

That was why he’d taken so much lightning at the start—charging himself.

Now, covered in his blood, I could finally focus fully on the moonlight forming in my left hand.

A cool glow gradually warmed my palm.

Aura drained rapidly, but one decisive strike would be enough.

“GRRRK!”

At last, Wolfgang broke his rhythm and leapt back.

From a distance, he raised his drained blade once more.

KRA-BOOM! CRACKLE!

Scarlet lightning poured into it again.

“Ah. Recharge time.”

[Now.]

“I know.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them.

A crimson world spread before me.

Perhaps the world was always meant to be red.

And mine was deeper in shade than his.

“Heh…”

Laughter spilled from my lips without knowing why.

Madness surged through me.

I couldn’t tell whether it was excitement, blood, or sheer lunacy boiling inside.

Heavenly Demon had said Wolfgang stood on the verge of deviation. Truth was, so was I.

What did that mean? I didn’t know.

My raging qi tore through the path of the wind.

Shrill cries echoed in my ears.

Strangely, it calmed me.

My thoughts grew simple.

Left hand. Moonlight. His heart. Destroy it.

“An angel of moonlight descends upon your heart. Here it comes.”

Muttering nonsense, I kicked off the ground.

The world blurred like wet paint, and Wolfgang’s form loomed larger.

Just then, he swung down the lightning-charged blade.

CRACK!

The crimson bolt roared toward me.

A final desperate strike?

“Heh.”

I split the lightning with my sword.

Just as I had once split a spell.

SWOOSH!

The bolt vanished without a trace.

And I drove the moonlit force of my left palm into his heart.

THUD!

(End of Chapter)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.