The bright orb in the sky shifted slowly, indifferent to whatever was happening on the ground, watching over the myriad beings below like a silent deity. On the western coast of the continent, a not very large but exceptionally fierce battle raged in front of a castle.

"Huff… huff…"

Justice dragged his battered body, swinging the simple longsword in his hand. With each swing, blood was splattered—some belonging to enemies, some dripping from his blood-soaked right hand onto the blade. Reluctantly admitting to himself, he knew he was nearing his limit. The Sword of Growth was in as bad a state as his body, showing cracks and fractures from the relentless combat. Each Chi injection, each clash of blades with the enemy, deepened those cracks.

The current state reminded Justice of the wooden practice dummies in the castle training grounds—his body must be similarly riddled with wounds, just like those wooden figures. Wiping his brow and shaking off the semi-congealed blood clouding his vision, Justice took a deep breath, allowing the remaining Chi to circulate in his body.

In the now-clear sight before him, most of the guards who had fought alongside him against the enemy had fallen. Fortunately, there were still people in the castle and traps and fortifications had been set up in advance. Even if he fell here, he need not worry about the castle being completely overrun.

In front of him, the infantry of Glaucius had regrouped, looking at him with eyes full of fear and awe. Even in the chaos of the battlefield, Justice had single-handedly killed over a hundred Glaucian soldiers, sustaining over twenty wounds of various sizes, yet still standing.

The Glaucian soldiers had not expected such strong resistance before their assault. Their orders were only to capture a castle where a local noble dwelled. However, to breach the outer walls and eliminate those who remained to resist, their losses had already reached almost three hundred.

How can we kill this guy?

As the Glaucian soldiers gazed at Justice, bathed in blood, swallowing nervously, this question popped into their minds. But Justice didn’t waste his thoughts on irrelevant matters; all his focus was on "combat." He didn't even pay attention to how many enemies he had slain but regretted that in the moment he had paused to catch his breath, the enemy had temporarily regrouped, allowing them to use their magic rifles for long-range shots again.

For a knight of exceptional personal strength like him, charging alone into the enemy ranks to face multiple adversaries was not a wise choice because it meant attacks from all directions. Yet now, facing dozens, even hundreds of magic rifles aimed at him, he preferred the former.

So, let's close the distance first.

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Justice sprang into action. Using the little Chi he had regained during his short break to strengthen his body, he had to get close enough to the rifles before they could easily shoot him.

Amidst the flow of Chi, the wounds on his body eased slightly, and Justice's figure darted skillfully through the dense rain of bullets as he approached the enemy formation. The closer he got, the more intense the rifle fire became, until it reached a point where even with all his efforts, Justice could no longer evade them.

Once again, spinning and landing, Justice faced two magical bullets glittering with lethal light approaching him. It was too late to dodge, so he had to swing his already battered sword to cut them off.

With each strike of his sword, the cracking sensation brought back by his Chi became even more profound.

Knowing that his sword was on its last legs, Justice had no choice but to accelerate his movements.

Faster.

Twist, bend, slide.

Even faster.

Chop, slash, thrust.

Unconsciously, Justice found himself deep in an incredibly dangerous situation, where his movements, swordsmanship, and spirit merged into one, reaching a new height simultaneously.

To the soldiers of Glerius, the man before them seemed like a masterful dancer, leaping through the rain of bullets with precision, with bullets seemingly intentionally avoiding his body, and his heavily scarred knight sword always managing to deflect the magical bullets that were about to hit him perfectly.

Even within Glerius' ranks, there were many who practiced swordsmanship and martial arts, and this kind of evasion and assault appeared miraculous to them as well.

But no matter how miraculous, there were ultimately limits.

Even though Justice could maintain his agile footwork and charge forward in his current state, the sword had a fixed limit.

Another cunningly angled magical bullet flew from the left, and Justice immediately raised his sword to strike. However, this time, after shattering the bullet with his blade, he finally reached his end with this last impact, as the internal decay inside the cracks that had spread throughout the sword could no longer hold it together, quietly shattering into fragments of metal after its final strike.

Though a faint lament echoed in Justice's heart, his actions did not dare to pause. His earlier charge had brought him close to the enemy formation, so his sword had fulfilled its final duty.

The resolute expression, stained with blood, was unmistakable in the eyes of the Glerius soldiers facing him. In a swift motion, Justice seized the magically charged gun, which had just been fired and was still charging, and with a kick empowered by Chi, he pushed the soldier back several meters, causing them both to crash to the ground.

Unfortunately, Justice was not familiar with such a weapon, and surrounded on all sides by enemies, a single shot was not ideal. Thus, he wielded it like a melee weapon, using it to smash the head of another Glerius soldier to the ground.

Not all enemies wielded magical guns; Justice easily grabbed a sword and shield from an enemy's hands, continuing his onslaught within the enemy ranks.

However, the Glerius soldiers were alert to the fact that this demon-like figure, though fierce, must be reaching the end of his stamina. Clad in heavy armor and wielding shields, they formed a shield wall to block Justice, depleting his energy as much as possible.

At this moment, the black-clad butler was like a cornered beast, darting and weaving within the shield wall. The stolen longsword was akin to an assassin in the night, seeking any gap to strike into and causing considerable trouble for the Glerius army.

But that was about to change.

As the shield wall became more solid, Justice's room to maneuver was increasingly restricted, and he himself could clearly feel his energy waning. The invincible state he had just been in, symbolized by the glowing Chi, was fading away.

Another strike hit the sturdy shield, and Justice felt a strong recoil. His right hand tingled, and suddenly his feet slipped, throwing off his balance.

The soldiers behind the shield wall showed signs of joy, raising their spears to strike down, but Justice, even in his falling state, managed to roll out of harm's way.

It's okay.

Even if this blow doesn't land, so what? The hunt against him is already in its final chapter. After all, I am not as strong as His Highness Tiran who can break through with a single strike. To be able to do this... maybe it's already enough?

Justice thought like this, and just as he was about to gather his strength to stand up, his body suddenly lost control and fell limp, relaxing in the small clearing at the center of the Gruleus army's encirclement.

Aren't they coming to kill me immediately? Well, at least at this final moment, let me... rest for a while.

Consciousness gradually dispersed in a surreal sense of comfort, and Justice gently closed his eyes.

"What... what is that?!"

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"Quick, run—AHH!"

What annoyed Justice was that even in this state, he couldn't peacefully pass out, the loud buzzing and piercing screams stubbornly piercing through his eardrums and reaching his mind even in his fading consciousness.

But... what is this sound?

A booming crash of a heavy object landing, and a strong gust of wind, as if right beside him.

Justice tried hard to open his eyes to see what was happening, but his eyelids felt heavy as if weighed down by lead.

At that moment, he felt his body being lifted.

More precisely, his upper body from the waist up, as if someone had embraced him and gently lifted him.

His eyes finally half-opened to a blur, and before him, a figure faced him, silver hair dancing wildly in the wind, an almost inaudible voice seemed to be anxiously asking something.

"Your... Highness?"

He caught a familiar, comforting scent in his nostrils, one that he recognized as belonging to His Highness Tiran.

"You... have finally returned."

Justice murmured, and a strong sense of security also led his consciousness to completely shut down.

...

"...No, wait, do I... look so much like Lady Tiran?"

Kneeling beside the now unconscious Justice, Aya's expression was incredibly complex, how could you mistake me for her!

But considering his confused state, it didn't seem entirely impossible.

"Sigh... after I'm done here, I should go get a haircut..."

As Aya released a healing spell to urgently stop the bleeding and treat Justice, she also took a moment to assess his appearance.

She had never seen Justice in such a disheveled state, his black butler suit almost turning into tatters, and the sensation of repairing blood vessels and nerves among muscle tissues returning through magic felt even worse than it looked on the surface.

"You've been through a lot."

Aya sighed from the heart, gently placing Justice back on the grass as she rolled up the wings on her back that had originally shielded him from the Gruleus people outside.

Given the weapons the Gruleus people displayed just now, Aya was not worried at all about her wings being breached.

"We just need to take care of the leftovers here."

Aya spread her arms, and the magical elements in the air suddenly surged violently.