"...Those clad in jet black."

Zeno Griffy, a blond man wearing the knight order's uniform, murmured. They were in a dimly lit sewer, a place where ordinary people wouldn't come near. The fact that someone had appeared in this place meant that they were an enemy.

(Those who came to rescue the princess, huh?)

Zeno glanced towards the silver-haired woman kneeling in the sewer, who was none other than Princess Alexia, who had been rumored to be kidnapped. She had just been rendered powerless by Zeno's blow as she attempted to escape her captivity. Her face was filled with despair.

While serving as an instructor of swordsmanship at the Mage Knight Academy, Zeno's true identity was a member of the "Diabolus Cult." He had kidnapped Alexia with the intention of achieving feats using her hero's blood and elevating his position within the cult.

Amidst all this, an unfamiliar duo suddenly appeared. Zeno noticed that their features and appearance matched what he had been hearing about recently.

"I see. So, you stray dogs are the ones who have been nipping at the heels of the 'Cult.'"

Mocking the duo in his mind, Zeno thought that they were foolish individuals who had no knowledge of the organization's terror. Little did he know that he himself was the one in a hunted position.

"...My name is Shadow. The one who lurks in the shadows and hunts the shadows."

"...Takumi (Light)."

Black hair and white hair. Both of them had hoods covering their heads and masks, making their faces completely invisible. Zeno didn't recognize their voices, so he thought of provoking the unknown enemies to extract information.

"Heh, acting all high and mighty, thinking you can crush a few small bases... But in the bases you destroyed, there isn't a single main force of the 'Cult'..."

"Is it Princess Alexia?"

"What?! How did you--"

In an instant, at a momentary lapse of attention, Zeno was caught off guard. The man who called himself Shadow didn't even move an inch. It was Takumi (Light) who had approached Alexia's side.

"...Y-Yes, but who are you?"

"No need to say. I came to help you. Let's go."

"W-Wait!"

Without waiting for a response, Takumi (Light) effortlessly lifted Alexia onto his shoulder. The submerged girl was overwhelmed by a mix of various emotions.

"You can't just do as you please!!"

And Zeno, who didn't approve of this rescue, swung his sword and launched a sharp and honed strike. It was an attack that was incomparable to the swordsmanship he displayed at the academy, capable of instantly defeating an ordinary opponent.

"You're in my way."

"What?! You blocked it?! ...Guh!!"

Takumi (Light) easily parried Zeno's powerful strike with his sword. Sparks flew from the clash, briefly illuminating the sewer.

Takumi (Light) was astonished by Zeno's attack, but he continued to smoothly move his sword. He shifted Zeno's sword upward and delivered a harsh kick to his exposed abdomen.

(This person... is strong!)

Even in her state of being carried, Alexia quickly recognized Takumi (Light)'s strength through their exchange. The calmness and precision of his movements, which seemed impossible for someone carrying another person, the absence of any wasted motion—it was clear that he was highly skilled.

(And that sword... It's the same as my sister's.)

Because Alexia had been watching her sister closely since she was young, she instantly recognized that Takumi (Light)'s sword was the same as her sister's.

That it was the "Sword of a Genius"—something she, as an ordinary person, could never reach through her efforts.

"...Put me down."

Unbeknownst to herself, Alexia's voice came out in a low tone. It was neither a high-handed order nor an emotional appeal. Just calmly, she spoke the words for him to let her down.

"...Ha."

Naturally, Takumi (Light) could hear her. He let out a light breath, then released his grip on the sword and gently lowered Alexia to the ground.

"T-Thank you..."

Seemingly surprised that she was let down so easily, Alexia had a perplexed expression. Even when she was being lowered, her body was touched as little as possible, and she was treated with gentlemanly manners. It would have been a dignified scene if it weren't for the sewer.

"You're getting ahead of yourself!!!"

At that moment, Zeno, the oblivious one, charged forward. He raised his sword once again and swung it forcefully towards Takumi (Light), who had turned his back.

However, this time, it was blocked by Shadow.

"Guh! You were supposed to be behind...!"

"You're light. Is this all you've got?"

With his eyes glowing red, Shadow lightly deflected Zeno's sword. The sword emitted a flickering light, and an aura of composure could be felt throughout his body.

"...Shadow. I leave this to you."

"Go, my right arm."

"But don't use A-Re."

"I understand."

"Truly, don't use it."

"I understand."

"........."

After Takumi (Light) urged Shadow with those words, he glanced at Alexia and left the scene.

Although the meaning of their exchange was completely unknown, the fact remained that one enemy had disappeared. Zeno regained his confidence and once again resorted to provocation.

"Oh, leaving so soon? Are you getting scared?"

"My right arm is not needed here. That's all."

"Your right arm, huh? You're just a coward who chose to flee. Not a stray dog, but a loser. Fuhahaha! Sorry, that was rude! It became a statement insulting your right arm, huh!"

It was a cheap provocation that even made Alexia feel disgusted. She knew that reacting was exactly what Zeno wanted, but his detestable smile and voice were truly grating on her nerves.

"Anyway, you're getting carried away after just blocking my sword once. Until now, you've never faced the main force of the cult. But that luck ends today. Because the main force of the cult... is right here!"

"It doesn't matter who I hunt."

"Is that so? Then it's your turn to be hunted. Feel relieved, I'll send that right arm guy from earlier to the afterlife soon. You can take a nice walk together with the loser."

Zeno readied his sword, intensifying his magical power. The amplified magical power caused the sewer to vibrate minutely, and a clear intent to kill emanated towards Shadow, who confronted him.

"Let me show you... the ultimate power."

"...The ultimate power?"

Ignoring Shadow's murmur, Zeno continued to increase his magical power, relying on his overflowing confidence. Along with the pressure befitting a seasoned swordsman.

"What... magic power."

Alexia trembled as she muttered. Her eyes filled with fear, her face drained of color, and she was completely overwhelmed by terror. Zeno saw Alexia's state and grinned, but he quickly realized that it was a complete misunderstanding.

The target of fear... was not him.

"N-N-N... What is that magic power!?"

What came into Zeno's field of vision was a deep purple magical power.

It was condensed and refined, dominating the entire space, emitting a beauty that made one's breath catch just by looking at it.

At its center was Shadow. Even though his expression couldn't be seen due to the mask, Zeno somehow felt an overflowing anger.

"...Not only did you insult my right arm, but you also deceived me by pretending to be the strongest. I hope you can entertain me a bit."

Zeno's movements stiffened as he was pierced by the red gleaming eyes. He was assaulted by a pressure he had never felt in his entire life, unable to keep up with the processing of his brain. The once confident Zeno had turned into a small animal in front of a carnivorous beast.

"Come at me. Engrave the true strongest... within your body."

And then, Zeno understood.

He had touched the dragon's scales—no, the reverse scale.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

I had entrusted the leader-like enemy and Princess Alexia to Shadow and made my way to the surface.

Originally, I was supposed to accompany Princess Alexia, but for some reason, she gave me a really nasty glare, so I ran away. We were supposed to be meeting for the first time, so why did she hate me so much? I was just trying to help. She glared at me like I was her parent's enemy.

(The enemy didn't seem like a big deal, and with Shadow, it should be easy. I told him not to go all out, so it should be fine, fine.)

If Shadow released his full magical power, the royal capital would be reduced to rubble. Before being called the power behind the scenes, we would just become ordinary criminals.

"Takumi (Light), over here."

"Oh, Alpha. Good work."

As I was leaping across the roofs of residential areas, I noticed golden hair shining in the distance. It was Alpha, who was supposed to join us with Princess Alexia. She was in a position to oversee the situation, standing in a place where she could observe everything.

"Please, lend me your strength."

"Uh, um... What happened?"

"Look at that."

"Huh? ...Oh, wow, it's really rampaging."

For some reason, Alpha pointed with a pained expression. I followed her gaze and saw a monstrous giant wreaking havoc. With each swing of its fist, the ground was torn apart and buildings were destroyed. It's been a while since I've seen something like that.

"That girl was originally a 'devil possessed.' ...She ended up like that due to experiments by the cult."

Alpha gritted her teeth, her expression contorted. I see, she wants to save her. She's always so kind.

"The knights are moving. It seems like the residents have already been evacuated. ...Wait, what? Is someone fighting?"

I saw a figure swinging a sword against the rampaging giant. The sword, enveloped in red light, swiftly cut through the giant, overpowering it despite the difference in size. Wow, they're strong.

"...I thought it might be someone, and it turned out to be Princess Iris. It seems like the giant has regenerative abilities. The severed arm grew back."

"If they only knew that it hurts, why don't they understand?"

"Well, never mind that. I understand. I'll help that girl. She's no match for me like Shadow, though."

"Thank you, Takumi (Light)."

There was no way I could refuse Alpha's request. Besides, it would be unsettling to leave the girl, who had been unjustly turned into a monster, behind. I wrapped her in a Takumi suit for now.

"I'll leave Princess Iris to you. If they happen to recognize my identity, it'll be Light."

"Understood. ...Please, save her."

"Leave it to me."

I watched Alpha jump towards Princess Iris and then gripped the two swords in my hands. It's been a while since I used dual-wielding. I hadn't had the opportunity to use it since I came to the royal capital as "Takumi Gavin" or "Takumi (Light)." It felt nostalgic. They fit perfectly in my hands.

Confirming the sensation, I focused on the giant, our target, within my field of view from the rooftop. Alpha did a good job separating Princess Iris from the chaos.

"Gaaaahhhhh!!!"

Rather than purposefully causing havoc, it seemed like the giant was in pain and thrashing about. As Alpha said, it's just as she described. I found another reason to crush the cult.

"Just you wait. I'll save you right away."

Sensing the magical power, I understood that it was forcibly injected into her body, causing the transformation into a monster. The solution was simple: I just had to expel the injected magical power from her body.

"Please bear with it for a moment."

"Gaaaahhhh?!"

I jumped down from the roof and moved to the giant's feet. Swinging my swords, I severed both of its legs.

Judging by the regeneration speed I observed when it was attacked by Princess Iris, it would take a few seconds for it to fully regenerate. That's enough of a window.

"Here I go."

I leaped above the giant and released my magical power. Silver magical power that adorned the night resided in the two swords. The strike I was about to unleash was my one and only finishing move.

If I want to defeat the core, I have to become the core myself.

As a result of staying by the side of the man who wanted to win against the core, I also came up with something foolish.

--- I want to drop a meteor on the fool.

When I was a child, I had no choice but to rely on gods, but now I can do it on my own. It's all thanks to the arduous training. As a gesture of gratitude for accompanying me during the training, I adopted the name Shadow gave it for this technique. Honestly, it's quite lame, but it's barely within the acceptable range.

I pulled the sword in my left hand towards my torso and placed the sword in my right hand on my shoulder. I further unleashed the stored magical power and swung the sword in my left hand in a horizontal slash.

It felt like I had torn through space, and the slash stopped right in front of me. Preparation complete. I swung down the right sword I had lifted high as a result of the recoil, unleashing a vertical strike that intersected with the first slash.

--- "Sword is Meteor."

Finally, the giant's legs began to regenerate, but there was no way it could avoid the attack. It collided directly with its head from above. The giant was enveloped in a silver light.

"Guaaaahhhh!!!"

The giant let out a voice of agony. Of course, it would be painful. I had hit it with even more concentrated magical power to expel the magical power that was transforming the girl into a monster. It must be excruciating, but it's the only way I can save her. Shadow might have been able to fix her just by manipulating magical power normally.

"...Ah, ah."

The giant's body began to collapse, and a girl, who seemed to be the original form, emerged from within. Oh no, she's naked. Let's quickly wrap her in a Takumi suit.

"Alpha, I'll leave her to you."

"Alright."

I called out to Alpha, who had been dealing with Princess Iris, and she came over to my side. She had been careful enough not to cause any injuries to Princess Iris.

Although I had returned the girl from being a monster to a human, it didn't mean that she was cured of being "devil possessed." What I was holding up now was a decaying body, so I asked Alpha to quickly treat her.

"...Mmm."

"Okay. She's back to normal. Thanks, Alpha."

"I should be the one saying thank you. Thank you, Takumi (Light)."

How cute. It was worth getting excited after a long time to see this face.

"You... who are you?!"

As I was mesmerized by Alpha, Princess Iris shouted at me. Although she didn't know my true identity, it's tough to be glared at by someone you know. She glared at me earlier too, and I'm feeling a bit down.

(...Well, whatever.)

While holding the rescued girl, I approached Princess Iris, who was trying to understand the situation. She was on guard, pointing her sword at me, but when she realized that I was carrying a weak girl, she lowered her sword.

"Answer my question!"

"...?"

"What is it?!"

"..."

I could change my voice, but it's probably better not to speak too much. I wordlessly pushed the girl I was carrying onto Princess Iris, who couldn't keep up with the situation.

"Is she... the monster you mentioned?"

Seemingly understanding without the need for explanation, she had a sharp mind, which was helpful.

"I entrust her to you. Protect her."

My voice and tone changed, so it seemed to be alright. Besides, she's being cautious and didn't seem to have any problems. Playing Shadow's make-believe game is not easy.

"Wait! Who are you guys?!"

"We are 'Shadow Garden.' ...If anything happens to that girl and she becomes more unfortunate, we won't forgive you."

(Oh, did I just say that?)

Moreover, I even revealed the organization's name to Alpha. Oops, she seems like a powerful behind-the-scenes figure.

"...Alright."

"Okay."

Ignoring Princess Iris, who shouted to wait, Alpha and I vanished into the night. I made sure that the safety of the girl was guaranteed by emphasizing it.