Chapter 5: Facing a Trial
One month later—
The twelfth month was approaching its end, and owing to them being on top of a mountain, it was becoming gradually colder. However, the changing of the seasons was still more mild compared to Japan, so there was no need to change into winter clothing.
After breakfast that day, Diablo began talking.
“Sasara, how much longer do you think this training will take?”
“Huh? Well, we keep training until the day we die...”
“No...I didn’t mean in the sense of an ideal. I meant how long until the trial for my breaking the level limit to go beyond level 99?”
“Ah...y-yes...” She hung her head. “Of course you would want to know that...”
His body had already recovered from the effects of the Golden Fruit, and he’d been training in the way of the sword for quite a while now. He’d felt the time was right to test his abilities.
“Breaking the level limit is one of my goals, but we cannot be absent from Faltra for too long. If you say it’s too soon for the trial, I will have to leave and return to train again at a later time.”
“Yes, I understand... Please, let me think on this for a bit...” So she said, falling silent.
“What about you two?” Diablo turned his eyes to Rem and Shera.
“...I would like to continue training for as long as you remain here.”
“You aren’t taking the trial?”
“...I do not like giving up before trying...but I doubt I am even at the limit of the races right now.”
“Hm.”
True enough, Diablo had never lost to Rem or Shera while training.
“I’ll take the trial!” Shera raised a hand.
“Wha...?! Shera, you can’t even beat me!”
“But doesn’t it sound like fun?”
“...Failing the Swordmaster’s trial costs you your life, from what I hear.”
“I don’t like pain...”
Rem had trained to the best of her ability to catch up to Diablo, and in that regard, her growth was the fastest. Shera only participated in the training because she didn’t like being left out and bored. There wasn’t a shred of motivation in her... But from Sasara’s estimates, Shera was blessed with more talent than Rem. Diablo was once again reminded that this girl was, in fact, a genius.
As a child she was already a level 40 archer, and despite not having that much experience, she’d reached level 80 by now. Shera aspired to be a summoner but had godsent talent as an archer, and apparently had latent aptitude to be a warrior as well.
After that conversation, Sasara retreated to the back of her manor for a long time.
†
That evening, they were served soba, this time on wooden sieves as Diablo had instructed Sasara. She wasn’t able to get any bamboo (whether bamboo even existed in this world was questionable), but she whittled down pieces of firewood into poles and overlapped them.
While picking up the soba, they made sure not to cut them and kept their chins up while slurping them. That was how you ate soba. In addition, Sasara experimented with the strength of the fire while boiling the soba as well as the amount of water while kneading it.
“It’s so tasty!” Shera cheered happily.
“...I personally prefer meat, but there’s no doubting that this is quite good.” Rem’s impression seemed favorable as well.
“Hm.” Diablo nodded sagely.
While it wasn’t quite the flavor of some famous store in the mountains, it was definitely soba.
“Thank you very much, Diablo...” Sasara lowered her head. “I only managed to make them so well because of you.”
“Hmph... I merely gave my impression of the flavor.”
The one who’d put in all the effort was her.
“When Father raised me, he often let me eat this soba.”
“I see.”
It seemed to be a flavor that carried its share of memories. This was probably why Sasara, who didn’t show any interest in much else besides the sword, was so passionate about making it.
“That said, Father’s soba was always bumpy and flabby, and I had to eat it with a spoon...” Sasara laughed wryly.
Diablo shook his head. “He probably made it soft enough for a child to eat.”
“Ah...”
“Well, I suppose he may have failed at making it too.”
“I should have asked him... There’s so much...I should have said to Father, not just about swordplay...”
“That’s just how people are. Once they get old, men stop talking about themselves, and children have no interest in anyone but themselves. One only begins thinking about their parents when they become parents.”
Sometimes, that only came once one’s parents were gone.
“That’s...very sad...” Sasara wiped her eyes.
“Becoming a parent makes you understand how your parents felt.”
“Hm... Is that how it works?”
“We’ll have to learn for ourselves.”
Diablo was nowhere near old enough to talk about old age, nor had he raised any children.
“I want to know more... More about Father, and my real father. I guess I have to live long to do so.”
“Coincidentally, Graham was a hundred years old, right?”
“Yes.”
There had to have been meaning to the previous swordmaster’s actions. They’d only come to think and correlate the facts this morning. But Sasara said nothing about the topic. Instead, as if changing the subject...
“Diablo, tomorrow morning, we climb the mountain. For the Swordmaster’s trial.”
“Understood.” He nodded back.
“I-It’s dangerous, and you may lose your life in the process.”
“I’d expect no less.”
“Also, if you use magic, you will immediately fail... Be careful.”
“Oh?”
Cross Reverie had something called a magic warrior. Like the grappler sorcerer, it was a class that mixed both swordplay and magic. However, grappler sorcerers were unpopular and considered a jack of all trades but master of none, while magic warriors were considered a standard class. At first, players focused on their skills as a warrior, and halfway through their build unlocked high firepower spells.
“Well...” Sasara said with a complicated expression. “True, some warriors do employ magic, but...um...in your case, if you use magic, it wouldn’t be a trial at all.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
There would be no point to defeating an enemy meant to challenge a level 99 warrior with a level 150 sorcerer’s spell.
†
Diablo climbed up the mountain. The surroundings of the estate were like a forest, but as he approached the summit, the trees taller than a person gradually diminished. Trees could go grow in cold terrain and great heights, but anywhere higher than the nearby mountains the wind blew too strongly. The wind either knocked down the saplings before they could extend their roots, or dispersed the leaves away, making the young trees wither.
“Ugh, I’m tiiiiiired!” Shera whined, Rem engaging with her.
“I told you to wait at the estate. You can still go back now if you want.”
“I don’t wanna wait alone, and I don’t wanna go back alone even more.”
“L-Let’s keep going, everyone...” Sasara spoke up. “We’re almost there.”
Geez.
Diablo turned to face them. “I don’t understand what you came with me for. Didn’t the rule state that only one person could take the trial at a time?”
“I-I am here to keep watch that you do not use magic.”
“I don’t mind that.”
“...Training by seeing,” Rem answered.
“And I’m here to cheer for you!” Shera waved her hands. “Do your best, Diablo?”
Is a trial to pass the limit of the races supposed to feel like a sports meetup? Because this certainly feels like one...
They’d finally reached flat ground. It was an infertile place filled with only sand and rocks. From the other side of the rocks, a rumbling in the ground approached them.
It’s coming.
Diablo pulled out the longsword at his waist, the Seraphix Blade.
“Be careful!” Rem yelled, but Sasara raised a hand to silence her.
“Stay back! From here on out, giving him advice is forbidden.”
“...U-Understood.”
“Mmph.” Shera covered her mouth with both hands, and the three of them stepped back.
Diablo was a sorcerer in Cross Reverie, so he never cleared the warrior trial, but he was aware of its content from a walkthrough site. He’d have to beat a magical beast called the great master in a solo battle. Sasara hadn’t told him what was coming, but Diablo was aware nonetheless.
“Oooooooooooooooh!” A massive form burst from the shade of the rocks. It had a skull for a head, and its body was only made of bones. A crimson crystal shined inside its ribcage. In terms of appearance, it was similar to a low level skeleton monster, except it was huge in size and gripped a stone greatsword in its hands.
Diablo brandished his left hand at his enemy—
“Whoops...”
He naturally prepared to cast a spell. A large monster only capable of hand-to-hand combat made for an easy target.
Diablo changed his stance. The stone greatsword had a far greater reach than his Seraphix Blade.
Should I charge him from a distance?
It was a common method, but it wasn’t to Diablo’s liking. Charging attacks weren’t as quick as those using them thought. If they had the speed of a magi gunner’s bullet it may have been different...but the enemy being attacked was capable of reacting too calmly. Any technique could be a foolish one if used recklessly.
The distance between them gradually shrank. Diablo enjoyed this. It was the opposite of a sorcerer’s fighting style. He’d always come up with solutions while fighting from afar, but now he was the one assertively advancing on his foe.
“Heh... Heheheh...” Laughter spilled from his lips naturally.
“Shaaaaaaaaa!” The great master swung its stone sword.
I can dodge this, easy.
It was ridiculously quick for how large its body was, but it was nothing compared to Sasara’s attacks.
Diablo shifted his weight from his left leg to his right, then pulled his left back. He changed his stance, not shifting his body’s axis from his spine. If he fought like before, he’d be hopping around and dodging like a grasshopper, or maybe counterattacking with magic... If he didn’t keep his legs hard on the ground, he wouldn’t be able to make use of his sword.
Diablo unleashed his skill.
“Sword Smite ?!”
It was a charge-type martial art that allowed its user to break into the enemy’s range, avoid their attacks, and grant a chance to hit. This was the correct timing to use this attack.
The great master stiffened. Sword Smite ? was a series of maneuvers that consisted of charging at the enemy’s flank and slashing them, though it was possible to cancel it after the charge and switch to another attack. But Diablo vividly remembered what he’d once read on a post on the message boards:
“Only air players cancel Sword Smite halfway through.”
Air players meant people who didn’t play the game, but pretended to be experts by watching game footage and reading up strategy sites.
Diablo didn’t cancel his attack; he didn’t need to. The great master was still stiff, so his attack would connect. Once it hit, he’d be able to follow up with a combo.
“Haaaaaaaaa!”
Heat Sonic—a martial art learned at level 80. His sword shone red with heat, and he released a powerful attack consisting of eight consecutive slashes. The great master’s right arm was crushed, and its stone longsword fell to the ground.
“Oooooooooooooooooooooh!” His roar echoed like a tremor.
“One more!” Diablo attacked his enemy once it was cornered, unleashing another Heat Sonic on it. The attack crushed its ribcage and shattered the scarlet crystal it contained. It was an obvious weak point. The great master roared in agony.
Did I do it?! No...not yet!
Defeated magical beasts were supposed to disperse into particles of light. Instead, the great master’s crushed crystal crumbled to the earth, with the ground where its shards made contact suddenly beginning to swell.
“What?!”
Several Great Masters rose from the ground, crushing rocks as they ascended. They were equal to the number of shards, totaling six.
“Heheheh...” Diablo’s lips curved into a smile. “Any less would be boring... Even as a warrior, I shall transcend the limits of the races!”
He unleashed martial arts into yet another great master.
“Guaaaaaah?!”
Suddenly, its abdomen was pierced from the back by another stone longsword.
They’re stabbing each other?!
With the stiffness of his own martial art working against him, Diablo took a direct hit.
“Gah?!” He was blown away and knocked down against the ground.
Diablo’s flank was cut open and bleeding. He nearly lost consciousness for a second there. The moment he considered the magnitude of the damage he’d taken, he instinctively reached out to take a potion. His habits from the game went on to save him even in this world. He consumed the HP potion before he even knew it.
“Kuh!” Rising to his feet, he promptly jumped aside. Another great master’s attack had come his way.
“Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
They didn’t spare him even a moment to breathe. Diablo considered how all his training was one-on-one; he wasn’t used to fighting solo against this many...
Wait, no! I don’t need training for this!
He’d experienced it time after time as a sorcerer. Diablo’s battles were almost always one against many, but he used his movements to lure monsters into brief one-on-one confrontations. When a distant enemy attacked him, he’d take cover behind a nearby one. This situation was no different.
Even if my weapon is a sword now, my experience is still valid!
“Ha! I am the Demon Lord Diablo! A flock of measly level 99 monsters are no match for me!”
Diablo went on to defeat the six great masters.
†
Sasara felt some heat flare up in her chest. It was hard to say she raised Diablo into this. If anything, it felt more like he grew up on his own. But she still felt joy at seeing someone she’d watched mature and improve in a tangible and visible way.
But at the same time, a feeling of suspense became stronger in her heart. She clenched her fist silently.
“He did it!” Shera jumped for joy.
Rem nodded serenely. “I’d expect no less of you.”
“Sasara, Diablo passed, right?!”
“...Surely he has. After seeing that fight, I don’t think there’s any doubt that he’s passed the limit of the races as a warrior.”
In contrast to the two girls’ festive moods, Sasara’s expression was grave.
“Th-That can wait for later... You two stay here. Do not go outside, no matter what.”
She signaled for them to stay behind the rocks. Shera tilted her head curiously, but Rem...
“No!” Rem realized first.
“I... I have to settle this score.” Sasara jumped back from behind the rocks. “Diablo, get back!”
“You’re going to fight it, aren’t you?!” he responded, seemingly realizing what was going on.
“O-Of course.” Sasara nodded.
It always attacked wherever strong adventurers were around. If one defeated a powerful monster and made a show of their power, it would appear from somewhere.
The six great masters Diablo defeated had broken apart into particles of light and vanished, a giant, hairy monkey appearing nearby.
The evil ape.
Former Swordmaster Graham. Sasara’s stepfather. The man who saved her life, raised her, and taught her how to wield the blade. A katana with the symbol of the crescent moon etched onto its pommel sat in its hands.
“Oooooooooh...”
“I will face you...Father. I’ve decided I must do this.”
Diablo’s words had made her reconsider things. She still didn’t know what her father’s intentions were. Did he become an Oni because he sought to duel her? If he didn’t do it out of hatred or envy, but simply wanted to master the blade so much he was even willing to cast his sentience aside, then it would be very much like her father to do so.
Sasara held up her sword, but that alone didn’t illicit a reaction from the evil ape.
“Father...I will slay you.” Her murderous intent surged out.
“Ooh, oooooooooh...” He raised his blade as well.
The same stance as me.
The distance between them was twenty steps. Diablo stepped back, realizing Sasara’s feelings and leaving the battle to her.
I must be the one to beat him! I must respond to Father’s feelings!
“Yaaaaaah!” Sasara swung her blade, unleashing a martial art. Ignoring the distance of twenty steps, the slash reached her opponent.
The martial art, Boundless.
But it knew her abilities, so the attack didn’t connect. It evaded it, unleashing a counter attack—the martial art, Collapse.
The long range attack shattered the rocks beneath her feet. Sasara leaned horizontally to evade, but the time spent on that allowed her father to cover that distance in the space of single breath.
The martial art, Flash Thrust.
The two glared at each from a short distance.
“Father!”
“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
They slashed at one another.
There wasn’t so much of a hint of his past self in that form. All she saw was an evil ape.
The moment before his slash reached Sasara—she jumped up and unleashed a slash of her own.
It was an attack known as Garden Stone, where the user slashed through space and the attack itself manifested a moment later. She exploited her father’s aggressiveness and used herself as bait to unleash this attack on the brink of crisis.
“She’s so calm...”
The memory of the day she spent with her father brought Sasara to the verge of tears. It was a mixture of both the fact that she didn’t want to see her father having changed so much, spurred by the desire to cross swords with her even a moment longer, and the awareness that she couldn’t truly remain calm in this situation. Should this battle drag out much longer, she would leave an opening.
“Yah!” Sasara charged aggressively.
“Oh!” He deflected her slash with his sword.
He was strong. In terms of sheer strength, he certainly outmatched her real father. He was also quite fast, with his slashes becoming gradually swifter. He was accurate, with his techniques increasing with precision.
But Sasara was stronger, swifter, and more skilled. After an exchange of twenty slashes, she began cornering her opponent. The katana etched with the marking of the crescent moon was knocked back.
“Haaah!”
“Gah?!”
The opponent’s side was exposed. She needed only to slash him across the abdomen to end this. That would kill the evil ape and conclude the battle.
“Tch... Father!”
Her hands shook. She choked on her breath. Her tears overflowed...
Sasara did not slash.
†
Diablo called out her name. This battle between level 200 warriors was so fierce, there was no way to hold back one’s surprise. It was an exchange of techniques Diablo couldn’t fathom how to handle, each looking like an unfair form of cheating.
Sasara once said that, as an adventurer, Diablo was probably much stronger than she was, but would he be able to beat her if they were to truly fight? If he’d challenged her before leveling up as a warrior, he’d have been cut by that first martial art that ignored distance. Not to mention that the evil ape was as strong as one would expect of a demonized form of former Swordmaster Graham.
Despite this, Sasara outmatched him. She dominated the exchange of blades and broke her opponent’s stance. Diablo was confident her final slash would decide the match.
But at the final moment...she stopped being a swordmaster, and went back to being a girl who adored her father.
“Sasaraaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
But Diablo’s cry didn’t reach her. The evil ape didn’t miss the opening exposed before it, driving its blade forward.
“Ah!”
Sasara fell to the ground. Red blood pooled over the rocks. She’d been slashed diagonally from the shoulder. The cut probably reached her heart and caused instant death.
Diablo’s hands shook. He pulled his staff, the Tonnerre Empereur, from out of his pouch, along with a boosting potion. He was up against a level 200 warrior—even if he put his all into this battle, it wouldn’t be enough.
“Flare Burst!”
Last time, the evil ape avoided this spell. But trying to dodge it meant it wasn’t able to withstand such a blast. As Diablo expected, it jumped away before the smoke could spread. Using the small of time afforded to him, Diablo changed the Tonnerre Empereur into its Libre form, a magic sword made of purple lightning. This made his attacks multiply in number, but also greatly increased his MP consumption.
“Lightning Arrow!”
Enough arrows of light to blot out the sun appeared around them, flying toward the evil ape in all directions. There was no avoiding them.
“Graaah!”
To Diablo’s surprise, the evil ape cut down the approaching arrows in a flurry of attacks. It was like a barrier of slashes. It appeared he’d need a spell with higher firepower to affect it.
“In that case, Lightning Bullet!”
This time he fired bullets of light, their power higher by several orders of magnitude. It was originally a spell that fired one bullet a time, but the Libre’s effects multiplied it into a series of shots. Yet the evil ape managed to avoid them.
“Kuh...”
It was too fast. Fast as it may be, it was hard to believe the spell that defeated Galford had no effect.
“Oooooooooooooooh!”
The evil ape swung down its blade. Diablo dodged to the side, but the attack severed through space. It was a martial art that completely ignored distance. Had Diablo not seen Sasara use it in the previous battle, he’d have surely been cut down.
What I need is a high firepower, unavoidable, area of effect attack!
“...Cross Blizzard!”
Countless whirlwinds appeared around them. Whatever came in contact with them would freeze and shatter by the force of the gales. The evil ape kicked the ground and jumped into the air, attempting to shrink the distance between them with one bound. It knew that killing the caster would disrupt the spell.
“Oooooooooooooooooooooh!” The former swordmaster’s slash swung down on him.
Diablo blocked the attack with the Libre. “Gah?!” He could feel his bones crack.
He was almost blown away by the recoil, but managed to stand his ground. Sinking his feet firmly, he put all the force his body could muster into the blade and pushed back. If he were to lose against that pressure, his stance would break and he’d be left open to the next attack.
“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
This battle was going the same way the evil ape’s battle with Sasara had gone. They stood within arm’s reach of each other, exchanging slash after slash. The only difference was that Diablo’s skill with the blade wasn’t good enough to match the evil ape. It was a one-sided defensive battle for Diablo, and just staying on the defense was difficult. But Diablo’s lips curled upward in a smirk at this.
“Heh... Stupid monkey... Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Gah?!”
“Dark Press!”
The spell was cast from close range, and it was one that didn’t require contact to be made. It was a spell with an area of effect, albeit a small one. It doubled the target’s weight several times over and sealed their movements. On an enemy at the ape’s level it would only give a limited debilitating effect...but it still noticeably slowed down the monster’s slashes.
Diablo had also stuck out his left hand as he blocked the ape’s blade with his magic sword.
“Freeze! Absolute Zero!”
But to Diablo’s surprise, his extended left hand was cut off, and fresh blood spurted out into the air.
“Wha?!”
“Gaaah!”
All of this was just him trying to lure me in?!
The evil ape held a dagger in its left hand. Where did it hide it until now? It saw through Diablo’s appearance and equipment, and surmised his fighting style despite that. Meanwhile, the ape’s equipment should have only been the katana...
“Diablo?!” he heard Shera screech from behind the rocks.
He grit his teeth; he couldn’t afford to let them see him so weak and beaten.
Don’t think you’ve won when all you took was my left hand!
Diablo tried headbutting the ape, who in turn tried to dodge. The blow instead impacted its left shoulder.
“Uah?!”
“I just needed contact!”
There was no rule saying it had to specifically be with a hand.
The Absolute Zero spell triggered, freezing the evil ape from its shoulder. If it worked, the spell would spread to the rest of its body—but things weren’t going to end so simply.
Judging the situation quickly, the ape slashed at its own body. Blood spilled onto the ground, and its left arm splashed down into the red puddle, frozen solid. The hand shattered, and the dagger tumbled to the ground. The dagger seemed to dissipate as it contacted the ground, but was rendered visible by both Diablo’s and the evil ape’s blood.
An invisible dagger?!
It seemed a level 200’s arsenal contained not just unknown techniques, but weapons the likes of which Diablo hadn’t seen.
They were both missing their left hand, but their positions were far from equal. Diablo had lost the freedom to use potions. He couldn’t just let go of the weapon in his right hand to use them.
Cross Reverie never featured anything resembling disabilities, and no matter how severe the damage one received, they could still consume items with no handicap. But this world was different. Diablo’s body was nowhere near as durable as a level 200 warrior, and he couldn’t let this battle drag on any longer while he was bleeding out like this.
The next blow will have to decide this!
“Grrrrrr...” The evil ape’s gaze was directed away from Diablo.
“Wha?! Where are you going?!”
The evil ape kicked the ground, rushing in an unexpected direction: toward the girls looking in from the rocks.
What had set him off? The evil ape’s attention shifted from Diablo, who was standing right in front of him, to Shera. Was it because she screamed earlier? Diablo felt his pulse accelerate even faster.
“I won’t let you! Lightning Meteor!”
Countless lightning bolts dropped down on the evil ape who gouged the ground with its sword, crushing rocks and kicking up clouds of dust and sediment. The moment before the bolts of lightning made contact with their target, they struck against the shards and grains of sand and earth, instead being directing down into the ground.
It slashed the ground to create a lightning rod effect?!
The spell didn’t even serve to delay it, and before Diablo could react, the ape closed in on the girls.
“Oooooooooooooooh!”
“Eek?!”
Shera was a talented archer, but was weak when caught off guard. She froze, her body stiff with horror.
“Asulau!”
Rem had intercepted the monster’s blow with a summon crystal. But with a single slash of the ape’s sword, the summon turned back into a black crystal. No matter how strengthened it was by Rem’s equipment, a level 40 summon couldn’t even serve as a shield. The evil ape was upon Shera, preparing to run its sword through her. Diablo prepared to unleash all the magic he could—
“Wha?!”
—when someone deflected the evil ape’s blade.
Standing in front of Shera with sword in hand was none other than Sasara, blood trickling down her forehead.
“F-Father... Stop it... Shera...is my student... M-My friend.”
Shera called out Sasara’s name, and Rem’s eyes widened in shock.
“Sasara, you’re alive?!”
“M-My body...doesn’t take damage...from a hit once a day.”
“But, the blood...”
“The slash didn’t hurt me... But I banged my head hard against a rock beneath my feet... I cut my forehead open...”
Judging from how badly she was bleeding, it made sense she’d get knocked out for a few minutes.
“I ask you once again, Sasara!” Diablo called out to her. “Can you fight it?!”
“Y-Yes... I will fight.”
“Can you truly cut it down?!”
“Nng... If that is...Father’s wish!”
She deflected the blade that had crossed against her own. The evil ape stepped back, and Sasara held up her sword vertically. Her sword was enveloped with light. She looked defenseless, but the evil ape didn’t recklessly attack her. It knew better than to rush her.
“Father...” Sasara parted her lips to speak, with a cold but resolute voice. “This is the final technique you taught me. Please watch me as I perform it!”
“Grrrrrr... Oooooooooooooooh!” The evil ape roared and swung its blade up.
“Teiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Sasara met his roar with a cry of her own coming from the very depths of her lungs.
The light emanating from her sword enveloped her, eventually covering her whole body in a torrent of light. Diablo thought it was similar to teleportation, a type of magic that enveloped one’s body in light and transferred them to another place altogether. It was the fastest method of transportation in this world.
It only took a moment. No—did time even pass? As soon as the light flashed, it was already over. Before Diablo even knew it, Sasara was already standing behind the evil ape, her sword swung down. The evil ape had also swung its sword.
“Kah...”
The two stood back-to-back...with Sasara the first to crumble to her feet.
Did she lose?!
“Hey!” Diablo rushed over and picked her up. What he found were tears running down her face.
Sasara was crying.
“I... I did it...”
“What?”
Diablo turned to look at the evil ape. It lowered its sword and turned to face them, revealing a slash extending from its left shoulder down to its right flank. Blood spurted from the wound, and its fur rapidly receded from its body. It was turning back from a fuzzy ape to the Swordmaster’s original, human form.
“...Magnificent.”
The man who was the evil ape—former Swordmaster Graham—crumbled to the ground.
“Ah?!” Sasara hurried to his side. “F-Father?!”
“Heh... Heheh... Even after becoming an Oni...I couldn’t match you...”
“Father! I... I...” Sasara clung to Graham, crying all the while. Her shoulders shivered as she sobbed.
“Y-Your blade... It has reached the domain...envisioned by the founder... As a teacher, nothing could make me...prouder...”
“N-No... I’m not, I’m nowhere near!”
“Yet...I longed for...a chance to cross blades...with a master fencer. E-Even if...I would have to shed my humanity...to do it...”
As Diablo thought, all Graham wanted was a chance to duel Sasara. Not as a parent or teacher, but as a single warrior, he sought to face her in one, decisive match.
Graham choked loudly, then coughed up blood.
“Father!”
“Weep not...for I am...pleased. I got to fight you...to fight you truly and seriously...in the greatest match of my life... Guh... I can only regret...the inadequacy of my own skill...”
“I only acted on your teachings, Father...”
“My teachings...”
“‘The path of the Swordmaster is not for the sake of fighting, but to raise and instruct others’—that is what I’ve heard,” Diablo said, standing next to them. “In which case, you can take pride, swordmaster. Your daughter is the greatest warrior.”
Graham couldn’t even move anymore. He simply turned his gaze to Diablo.
“...Ye mighty adventurer...”
“I am but your pupil’s pupil.”
“T-Take...” His voice grew fainter and fainter. “T-Take care of...my...daughter...”
“You can leave her to me.”
“Sa...sara...” With shaking hands, he presented the girl with his katana.
“Father!”
Graham’s final words were no longer audible. But the gaze in his eyes was that of a father beaming at their child. The former Swordmaster breathed his last, and his eyes would open no longer.
Sasara fell over his chest.
“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, Faaaaaaaaatheeeeeeeeer!”
Diablo could only watch over her. He had no words to console her with. It was because Graham wished for this that the Swordmaster sought this conclusion with Sasara, and why what transpired here was meaningful for them both. But that may have in fact been a mistake. In so doing, this girl was forced to slay her beloved father with her own two hands.
Was this the right thing to do?
This question would weigh down Diablo’s heart for as long as he lived.
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