"I'll Catch Up Later, So Go On Ahead!" I Said, and Stayed Behind in the Dungeon for Five Years. When I Returned to the Royal Capital, for Some Reason, I Had Become a Great Criminal, So I Decided to Retire. But Outstanding People Keep Gathering Around Me Though... - Episode 37: The Power of the Hero

Episode 37: The Power of the Hero

〈Third-Person Perspective〉

“I’m sorry. I’m late. Everyone, fall back. Leave this to me.”

“Senpai…! But… this is our fight…!”

Haruto appeared gallantly at the moment of crisis.

Although he had received information from Princess Tiris, he hadn’t known the exact location of their battle—it had been ever-changing.

That’s why he deployed a wide-range detection spell and arrived here swiftly.

“Felina… and everyone. I know none of you said anything for my sake. 

But I will fight. Because I believe that’s the responsibility of someone with power. 

For five years… you all held on. Thank you. 

So from here on out—leave this to me.”

Haruto had never changed.

Not when he became a Hero.

Not when he became a baker.

He always used his power for the sake of others.

“Senpai…”

“Haruto-sama…”

“Haruto…”

“Sensei…”

All four of them gazed at him.

He had returned once more—

As Hero Haruto, to fulfill his duty.

And the four of them, seeing that form, quietly shed tears.

“Ku ku ku… Ahahaha! Ahh, so it’s true! You’ve returned, haven’t you—Hero Haruto!!”

“It’s been a while, Prince Raiz.”

“Yeah, long time. So? Did you get the grand welcome you were expecting?”

“Yes. Quite the welcome.”

“Hmm. So you won’t be shaken by this level of taunting, huh?”

Raiz tried to shake Haruto—but Haruto was utterly unmoved.

He wasn’t the kind of man who would be fazed by the false charges from before.

He had risen once again as Hero Haruto—to save his comrades, to save this kingdom.

“I heard everything from Princess Tiris. All the vile deeds you’ve committed until now. They can never be forgiven—Even if you are royalty.”

“Ku ku… Vile deeds? You’re mistaken. All of it was just part of the path to becoming king. I’m just steps away from seizing the throne—To rule this kingdom, and then the world. Once I become king, I’ll step into the world stage. This is just the prologue.”

“You are not fit to be king.”

“No. That decision belongs to the victor. Hero Haruto—Let me bring you your end here and now. Volk, the stage is set.”

Raiz called out to Volk.

And Volk, with a grin, responded.

“Much obliged, my prince. All my previous opponents were far too weak. Boring. I thought there was no one left in this world on my level. But now! I can tell just by facing him—This guy is the real deal!!”

“Good. Then—kill him. Now is the time to prove your worth.”

“Hahaha! Alright then, let’s get this started!!”

Volk had been bored.

No one from any faction could match him.

For him, life was nothing but fighting, killing, and devouring flesh and bl00d.

He was plagued by an endless thirst.

But when he saw Haruto standing still with serene composure, 

Volk finally unleashed his unique magic.

In response—

Haruto, too, activated his unique magic.

“Thousand Swords of the White Night: Arlia.”

“Domain Release: Overdrive.”

And then—

Their voices overlapped.

『──Activate.』

Behind Haruto, black and white swords appeared.

Volk’s body was enveloped in jet-black magic.

In a flash—Volk’s figure vanished.

It wasn’t illusion magic.

It was real super-speed; with just one step, he closed the gap to Haruto.

“…Guh!”

Reacting to Volk’s attack, Haruto first caught it with White Sword Alba in his right hand.

White Sword Alba and Volk’s fist clashed like a blade lock.

Volk had a slight edge in force.

“Hahaha! You’re the first person to take my punch head-on—Hero Haruto!! You really are the best!!”

But Haruto wasn’t bothered by Volk’s excitement.

He had already started analyzing and neutralizing the attack.

“First Anchor: Structural Analysis.

Second Anchor: Magic Formula Recognition.

Third Anchor: Interference Field Synchronization──

Phase Neutralization.”

Haruto tried to fully neutralize Volk’s magic formula—

But it couldn’t be completely nullified.

Volk continued to swing his fists with brute force. It forced Haruto to retreat and gain some distance.

(Neutralization is possible, but the magic density is too high. The structure of the formula is simple—it’s just muscle enhancement via mana. His base physique, plus bodily reinforcement from unique magic. If I try to fully nullify it, I’ll burn through a lot of my mana. It’s a pain… But—)

That’s right.

Haruto’s neutralization wasn’t almighty.

With someone like Volk, who didn’t rely heavily on complex magic formulas, there were limits to what he could nullify.

Volk’s fighting style didn’t depend on magic.

His magic was just support to enhance his already monstrous body.

Meanwhile, Volk also assessed Haruto’s abilities.

(Neutralization, huh… It doesn’t fully cancel me out, but it’s a pain. I can’t finish this in one hit. That white sword—just touching it peels off the surface layer of my mana. If I drop my guard for even a second, it’ll reach my core. Even this mana density can’t stop him… Yeah. The Hero is incredible! Stronger than anyone I’ve ever faced!!)

Both understood—the other was strong.

But both still believed: I’ll be the one to win.

Haruto then stopped using White Sword Alba—

And he switched to wielding two Black Sword Ater.

“First Anchor: Structural Severance.

Second Anchor: Interference Erosion.

Third Anchor: Collapse Induction──

Phase Collision.”

“So, you switched spells.”

(Smart move. He’s not dumb enough to try to force his way through my mana head-on. Kukuku… Not bad. Let’s see if I can crush this new magic too!!)

Haruto activated the formula and released Ater’s abilities.

But Volk was already charging at him.

Haruto skillfully deflected his blows with both swords.

Volk didn’t defend—he simply attacked with overwhelming speed and strength.

But—

Haruto hadn’t shown the full power of his Arlia yet.

(If it’s come to this—then I have no choice but to use it.)

“First Anchor: Interference Field Expansion.

Second Anchor: Will-Link Circuit Establishment.

Third Anchor: Blade Control Link Deployment—Phase Release.

Sword Blade Frenzied Dance: Gladius—Activate.”

Dozens of black swords appeared behind Haruto. They launched one after another toward Volk.

They flew freely through the air. They were attacking from all angles.

At the same time, Haruto also closed in and attacked directly.

His number of attacks far exceeded Volk’s.

“Nice! Now that’s more like it—Hero!!”

Amazingly, Volk dodged the flying swords while continuing to fight.

He responded to Haruto’s melee strikes while maintaining awareness of the incoming airborne blades.

(He’s not perceiving them via magic… It’s all through pure senses. Incredible spatial awareness. I’ve never met someone this skilled.)

Still, the difference in volume of attacks was unavoidable.

Finally, one of the black swords pierced Volk’s shoulder—

But he hardened his mana in that area just in time to avoid a fatal wound, and counterattacked.

“Take the wound, to break the bone”

—Volk put the saying into action.

Even Haruto was surprised by the reckless move and retreated again.

“So that’s how you respond…”

“Yeah. You really are the best, Hero! You respond to everything I throw at you! The moment I kill you—that’s when I’ll truly feel alive!! Hahahaha! Worth the wait after all these years!!”

(Even Gladius doesn’t work that well. On their own, the black swords don’t have enough power to break through his mana defenses. That’s why—)

Haruto calmly analyzed.

How could he best use the cards he held?

His thinking dove deeper, building a path to victory.

Then—

He stopped Gladius. He left just one black sword floating.

He began condensing his mana into it.

Seeing that, Volk grinned.

“Yeah! So this is it, huh? The final clash! Good! Your sword, and my fists—Let’s see which is stronger!!”

Volk lowered his stance and gathered his full power.

The next clash would decide the battle.

Both of them understood that.

The one who moved first—was Volk.

His speed was already beyond human perception—

But Haruto stood calmly, seeing through it all—

with perfect clarity.

“This is the enddddddddd!! Heroooooooo!!!”

At last, sword and fist clashed—

But at that moment, Volk felt something strange.

He sensed his magic power being gradually scraped away.

Not just on the surface—

But in an instant, it reached deep into his core.

Then, a burst of white particles scattered into the air.

“Wha—!?”

Volk’s unique magic, Overdrive, was completely nullified.

And Haruto’s Black Sword Ater vanished without a trace.

However—

Haruto was still maintaining his activation of Arlia.

“──Gladius.”

Immediately, Gladius was reactivated.

Haruto snapped his fingers downward. He sent White Sword Alba piercing into Volk’s body.

With his magic sealed, Volk’s body could no longer defend itself.

White-hot bl00d sprayed as he was impaled. He was coughing bl00d.

With a sickening splat, Volk collapsed to the ground.

The outcome—was decided, completely and utterly.

“Gah… that last black sword… it used the same formula as the white one, didn’t it?”

“Yeah. I alternate between black and white to mislead opponents. The color itself doesn’t mean anything.”

“Ha… haha… so when you stopped using the white sword earlier… that was part of the plan too?”

“Right. All of it was just to get you to make the wrong assumptions about my abilities.”

“I see… well played… As expected from the world’s strongest hero…”

That’s right.

Haruto alternated between Black Sword Ater and White Sword Alba. But the magic formulas—neutralization and collapse—had nothing to do with color.

It was all a bluff, used for the sake of strategic deception.

No matter how powerful the magic—

It was still just a tool.

And no one understood that better than Haruto.

“Any last words?”

“…Not really… I’m satisfied…”

“Got it. You were strong—”

Haruto activated Alba’s magic formula. He was targeting only Volk’s existence.

Like snow dancing in the air—

Volk’s entire being was erased from existence.

†

There was no doubt that Volk had been a formidable foe—

But I had claimed victory.

I’d completely erased his existence with magic.

And yet, my heart felt no stir.

All that remained was to calmly eliminate the rest of my enemies.

“A-Ah… th-that Volk lost…!?”

I slowly stepped toward the stunned Prince Raiz.

“H-Hahaha! But I still have this power! Ku-ku… Let me show you… the true power of a king—!!”

From the ring on Prince Raiz’s right hand, warped magical energy began to pour out.

A gate opened before me—

From it emerged a monster of the Abyss Sanctum: Cerberus.

“Kukuku… Through countless experiments, I’ve completely mastered the Gate! And now I can even control the monsters that come through it—”

Before he could finish his sentence,

I fired Ater—instantly erasing the Cerberus without a word.

Compared to the previous opponent, this wasn’t even a battle.

It was just disposal.

“Is that supposed to impress me? The monsters of the Abyss Sanctum are not my enemies.”

“H-Hiii… AAAAAGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

Prince Raiz attempted to open another gate—

But I struck his face with a merciless punch.

He couldn’t even brace himself. And he just rolled helplessly across the floor.

“Ugh… ah… D-Did I… just get hit…?”

He touched his swollen cheek—

And realized bl00d was dripping from it.

A man who had trampled over others for selfish gain

deserved a fitting punishment.

I looked down at Prince Raiz with a cold, merciless gaze, and spoke.

“──Get up. Show me this ‘king’s power’ you’re so proud of.”

“Damn youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu—!!”