While the battle between Yuuri and the demon reaches its peak of intensity─

"What on earth is happening... and Yuuri-san, who exactly are you?"

Alicia quietly murmured with a dazed expression.

For her, the scene unfolding before her eyes was something that completely overturned her perception.

The Yuuri she knows is exceptional in swordsmanship and has a talent for "Presence Detection."

Instead, he was just an adventurer without any magical power, with at most D-rank level abilities or so it was supposed to be.

But what is this scene?

Against an opponent they couldn't even touch, Yuuri was not only holding his own but completely overwhelming them.

The enemy is a demon with the power to completely destroy this country.

To surpass such an existence without any magical power, it hardly seems real.

It wasn't just Alicia who thought so.

Ceres and Monica, who were nearby, also wore expressions of astonishment as they watched Yuuri and the demon battle.

"Hey, hey, is this for real...? Am I dreaming or something?"

"...No, it's not a dream. It's just that Yuuri is incredibly amazing."

Monica said this, but she also seemed to have no idea why Yuuri had such remarkable skills.

All three confused people could just watch Yuuri's battle intently.

―Yuuri continues to fend off the approaching thousand blades.

The demon proclaims loudly after seeing that figure.

"Hahaha, what's wrong! With your own technique being replicated, is this the end for you, even if you can't handle it!?"

Yuuri is only able to withstand the demon's slashes, constantly on the defensive.

The demon was overjoyed that it was finally its turn as it continued to swing its sword with a mocking expression towards Yuuri.

"(I can do it, I can do it! If I keep unleashing these slashes, his defenses will eventually break down!)"

Even if they were temporarily overwhelmed in battle, their potential as a species is fundamentally different.

Power, speed, and endurance.

With all those combined strengths, there's no way they could possibly lose.

The demon was thinking so.

Therefore―

"No, sorry to rain on your parade, but this level of happiness isn't enough to reach me."

"What did you say? Stop pretending to be tough —Hah!"

Feeling irritated by Yuuri's words, they further accelerate the speed of their sword swings.

The rain of slashes pours down on Yuuri with a furious intensity.

However, in the face of that, Yuuri remained unfazed―

"[The Water of Circulation Dissolves]."

―Suddenly, all the slashes were repelled by the magic god's eye.

"What!?"

It is not a movement just to fend off the enemy's attacks as before.

With a clear aim, it is about deflecting the attack without breaking the form of the slash.

The countless slashes reflected by Yuuri's hand not only did not weaken but instead increased in power, striking the demon directly.

"Gah! Y-you, what on earth are you..."

The demon asked that question as it had been sliced apart by countless slashes, although with a hint of agitation.

Then Yuuri replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"As you can see, I just deflected the slash."

"Just deflected it? And with increased power...?! Impossible, slashes are different from blades. There's no way something like that could be done so easily!"

"No, I can do it. After all―"

After a brief pause, Yuuri speaks.

"I've been training alone all this time. I only have one sword, and I can't engage in combat with others. So, the most effective thing is to deflect my own strikes, right?"

"W-What are you saying...?"

It doesn't understand what he's saying.

However, one thing is clear: this existence is utterly beyond the norm.

This is bad.

At this rate.

As they are now, it's not enough.

The demon suddenly realized something and had intuitively understood this.

"(...What? Until just now, the monsters around here were mysteriously disappearing one after another, but now there's no sign of them. If it's now, I can summon them here and make them my nourishment!)"

Once they had that flash of inspiration, things moved quickly.

The demon sent magical power throughout the surrounding area through the magical veins, issuing a command to the monsters to come to this place.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the effect appeared.

Various monsters, large and small, are approaching us with a rumble.

The first to react to that event was Alicia.

"This sound... could it be the march of the monsters? Damn it, to resume at such a timing!"

Alicia involuntarily grimaced.

If the monsters come here, it will be bad this time.

Right now, Yuuri is fighting with the upper hand, but due to the demon's nature, it can endlessly strengthen itself by consuming magical power.

If that happens, there is a risk that the tide of battle could turn dramatically.

By any means necessary, even if it means pushing herself to the limit, she must prevent that situation.

"At the very least, we need to delay our approach so as not to disturb Yuuri-san... Ceres, Monica, can you move?"

When she asked that, the two of them opened their eyes wide in surprise and then smiled broadly.

"Seriously!? Hmph, our leader is really strict... but well, if you say to do it, then I'll do it."

Ceres propped herself up with her great sword and lifted her battered body.

Some bones are probably broken, but by manipulating magical power and fighting spirit within the body, she is temporarily moving them.

"Got it. I'll do it."

Monica steadies her stance.

Since Monica is a magician, there is no need for her to force herself to stand up, but there is a posture that makes it easier to chant and gather magical power.

Both sides, and Alicia, are ready.

And knowing it was impossible, they were about to take action, and then, in the next moment.

Thud!

An overwhelming aura engulfed their bodies.

"...Huh?"

"...What?"

"...Woah."

The three of them felt perplexed as they directed their gaze towards the source of the aura.

Then, at the center of it all, Yuuri spoke softly while holding his sword.

"[Silent Wind Slasher: Swift]."

In an instant, countless slashes are unleashed from that blade.

They accelerated as if weaving through the surrounding trees and slashed through the monsters that were closing in on the area one after another.

"...That's a lie."

An utterly shocking sight.

Outrageously exceptional skill.

That is probably an overwhelming aura that seems to be a fighting spirit.

There were many noteworthy events like that, but what surprised Alicia the most was that she recognized that blade.

No doubt about it.

This slash is undoubtedly the same as the one that defeated the Sky Dragon and Wily Demon in front of Alicia and the others―

"Alicia!"

It was at that moment.

A familiar voice vibrates Alicia's eardrum.

When she turned around with a startled expression, she saw a green-haired Tio at the end of her gaze.

"Tio! You made it back safely!"

"More importantly, it seems like he made it in time."

In Tio's eyes, Yuuri's figure was reflected as she said that.

"You're talking about Yuuri-san, right?"

"Yeah, I asked for help. I thought we needed his power to defeat that monster."

"That means, after all..."

"That's right. You've already seen his true self, haven't you? I was taken aback at first, too, but there's no doubt about it."

After nodding firmly, Alicia and Tio confidently spoke.

"...He is the strongest swordsman we have been looking for...!"

"That person is the strongest swordsman we were looking for."

Thus, the battle was finally entering its final phase.

Chapter 33: The Strongest Swordsman