28 Hero

The battle is approaching it's end.

During the entire fight, Reinhard overwhelmed Atofe 9 out of 10 times.

As days passed he got exhausted and he occasionally received direct hits, tanking them out.

Right now it's a deadlock.

Both sides refused to give an edge.

"Are you joining the Imperial Guard, or are you not? What will it be? Give a clear answer!"

"How many times do I have to tell you! I refuse!"

This conversation had happened hundreds of times already throughout the coarse of battle.

"Why? Why do you refuse?"

"Because you're a goddamn idiot! That's why!"

"Shut it! I am not an idiot!"

Atofe unleashed a slash.

Reinhard dodged the blow and counterattacked at the opening.

Atofe's body was bisected in half.

The Imperial Guard who's named Moore backed her up with magic to deter his movements but Reinhard avoided it.

But Atofe was an Immortal. She regenerated and her body came back as it was before.

This fight is actually a bad match up for Reinhard.

How many times did he already done this? If Atofe's wasn't an Immortal, she would already be dead a thousand times over.

"I am not an idiot! I'm not!"

At the backline, Sylphy was doing support to try take out Moore from behind. But she can't see an opening to attack.

Moore is after all a veteran magician. The strongest and the most experienced Imperial Guard in their ranks.

Sylphy thought of blasting him with an overcharged magic spell, but she could get caught up Reinhard in the line of fire.

This was the first time for Sylphy to fight a master and veteran mage. Though he Moore wasn't capable of Chantless magic, his hundreds of years of experience was enough to counter every spell Sylphy used.

It's like playing chess with a grandmaster. While the grandmaster only have a King and pawns, with Sylphy having a full set, she can't get the checkmate.

The battle continued for a while, and before they knew it... they were surrounded.

Although it was just for a few minutes, the 2v2 between two parties spanned like an eternity.

The previous Imperial Guards that got blown away from Sylphy's magic, came back.

"This will be the end of you! Guards! Get him!"

Sylphy panicked.

'If things gets out of hand, Atofe will get incredibly serious to come and kill me. I can't afford doing that within the Demon Continent.'

Atofe isn't facing him with her full power. Instead it's like a combat sport where the athletes compete. Though there are risks because it also is a duel. If she truly gets serious without regard to the code of the Immortal tribe, Reinhard doesn't know if he could protect Sylphy at his exhausted state.

"It can't be helped, huh."

Reinhard with no other choice had to unleash a secret technique.

-*-*-*-

{Part 2}

He saw it once...

When he sparred with his master, the Water God. He saw the Ultimate technique that made the current Reida Reya the Water God.

The Ultimate secret technique [Deprivation Sword Kingdom].

She strikes from a single stance, be it a swing striking down, up, left or right.

From where she is, it's possible for her to kill all of her opponents in every direction.

If anyone moves even a step, she will respond to that movement, capable of cutting down everything.

That time he was able to dodge all the incoming attacks, however he was completely overwhelmed and he had no choice but to retreat. And yield to his loss much to his dismay. Because of that he dedicated training swordplay from dawn till dusk.

He wasn't able to learn the technique in that span of time, but he was able to know the theory behind it. All he need to do was the execution of using Touki.

-*-*-*-

{Part 3}

"Water God Style Secret Technique: Deprivation Sword Kingdom."

In the blink of an eye, everyone including the guards and Atofe herself... had their bodies cut into pieces.

Finding the smallest gaps in their durable armors, their torso, necks, limbs, were separated cleanly from one another.

Sylphy despite her enormous battle experience fighting side by side with Reinhard failed to keep up. Everything happened so quickly she didn't understand.

Reinhard walks towards the bisected head of Atofe.

It slowly regenerated from her neck until her shoulders towards her torso.

After days of fighting, her regeneration powers had greatly weaken. Reinhard could take his time to walk.

He grabbed her hair from her head with her incomplete body and pointed the edge of his great sword down on her neck.

"Submit to me and become my subordinate. Or face the hell of suffering. Choose."

Reinhard's eyes glowed with visible light as if saying 'do you still wanna go?'

Atofe could clearly see it.

"Don't want it!" She said like a child throwing a tantrum.

-*-*-*-

{Part 4}

Afterwards the guards regenerated and Atofe too.

All of their armors are dismantled like Legos, so they're practically naked, including their innerwear that got cleanly cut.

Thereupon, Moore rushed over and put a cloak on her.

"I'll immediately go and pick up a change of armor, so..."

"Humph!"

Atofe sat down on the ground with a 'plunk' and crossed her legs.

She doesn't intend to fight.

But she's looking at Reinhard and Sylphy, seemingly annoyed.

"Reinhard-sama. Here water."

"Yeah, thanks."

It was clear from Sylphy's hair turning white that she is suffering from Mana exhaustion. The bags under her eyes and her pale complexion was also there.

Reinhard used Healing Magic on her to alleviate her condition even if it's just a little bit.

Atofe stared at them fixedly and then sighed, "Moore, do you remember?"

"No, during the Human-Demon War, I was still...."

"That's right. That's how it was." Atofe muttered unusually in a calm voice.

"But the Human Race was like that. At first, they were weak..."

"Absurdly weak. If we invaded, they would easily collapse and run away. But they steadily changed after a short while."

"When I realized it, they had changed their personnel, armor, and weapons."

"Their method of fighting was like that too."

"They would become firm, fall apart, and lie in wait within the mountains and across rivers..."

"While doing so, they became stronger little by little."

"Kal said that it was the strength of the Human Race."

She said somewhat cooled down after days of highspeed and heated battle.

"Are you born with that eye? Or that idiot Kishirika gave that eye to you?"

"I was born with it. And somehow its effects amplified after we acquired powers in a crystal."

"I see... You're strong, truly strong. A fighting style that best optimized with that Magic Eye to the fullest."

"It's a pleasant story. Since Father wasn't able to win against the Dragon Race after many hardships when the worthless Human Race were able to overtake..."

Atofe slowly stood up.

With Moore on her side, she looked down at him with her arms folded and talked.

"I recognize my defeat. As promised, I will be under your jurisdiction while you continue to live."

This Atofe became the 3rd servant.

"Reinhard Greyrat, you are a hero who defeated me."

That was the time after hundreds of years, Atofe suffered defeat the second time.