The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

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Chapter 207: Traitors (8)

For the past 500 years… no, even before that, the conflict between heroes and demons had continued.

This long and bloody history ingrained a common perception among the heroes.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Demons are not human; they are monsters disguised as humans.

The power of such a “perception” was immense.

If you think about it carefully, it’s like how, when seeing grotesque creatures like shrimp or crabs, you feel they look delicious rather than disgusting.

This perception greatly reduced the aversion to fighting and killing demons.

But.

What if the target wasn’t a demon?

What if you had to stain your hands with the blood of another human?

“Ah… ugh.”

Yurina trembled as she stared at the blood on her sword.

The face of the woman behind the fox mask.

The faint breaths she had been taking were now completely gone, and Yurina gazed blankly down at her.

‘I killed someone.’

With her own hands, with her own sword.

She had taken someone’s life.

Of course, she knew they had done things that warranted death.

They used the people of the slums as errand runners and brutally killed those who didn’t obey.

But.

“Haah… haah…”

Blood, blood, blood.

The blood pouring from the split abdomen.

The blood dripping from the blade.

It wasn’t different from her own.

“Chaah!”

The rabbit mask charged at Yurina, who stood frozen in place.

She stared blankly at the sharp dagger aimed at her.

“Yurina!”

Kaaang!

I stepped in front of the frozen Yurina and swung my sword at the charging rabbit mask.

Ashen Sword.

Form 1: Ash Cutter.

Whooosh!

The blazing embers shattered the rabbit mask’s dagger and engulfed their body.

“Arghhh!”

The rabbit mask writhed, engulfed in embers, before collapsing to the ground, charred black.

“…Dale.”

Yurina looked at me with a pale face, her gaze fixed on the rabbit mask’s corpse.

“……”

Her trembling figure brought back memories of my past life.

Back when I worked as a mercenary after graduating school.

I remembered the time I killed a scoundrel who turned his sword on his comrades to cheat them out of their pay.

Even after all these years, the memory of my first kill remained vivid.

‘I was a mess back then—vomiting and everything.’

Now, I feel no hesitation taking someone’s life, whether they’re a hero or a demon.

But back then, I reacted just like Yurina.

Or perhaps I was even worse.

At least Yurina wasn’t vomiting her guts out.

“I… I thought… they were demons….”

She stammered, her face pale.

I turned to Yurina and closed my eyes for a moment.

It wouldn’t be hard to offer her words of comfort.

You didn’t know, so it couldn’t be helped.

Considering what they did, it’s no different from killing a demon.

You’re not in the wrong.

You did nothing wrong.

So.

Forget the blood on your sword.

‘But.’

What meaning would such comfort have?

“Yurina.”

“D-Dale….”

“What are you doing? There’s still one left.”

“But….”

“Did you forget you said you’d fight on your own? Or should I step in now?”

“N-No! I-I’ll… I’ll fight.”

Yurina bit her lip and tried to grip her sword, but—

Clatter.

The sword slipped from her hands and rolled on the ground.

“Ah… s-sorry… Dale.”

She hastily picked up the sword.

I watched her with a heavy gaze.

“Tch.”

I clicked my tongue as if in disappointment.

“Forget it. I’ll handle it.”

“D-Dale…!”

Yurina grabbed my arm.

“I… I can fight. Really.”

“Even if the enemy isn’t a demon, but a human?”

“……”

“Can you kill someone just like you?”

“T-That’s…”

Yurina’s expression stiffened.

“T-These people… they’re bad people, right? So….”

“Oh, so if someone’s bad, it’s okay to just kill them?”

“T-That’s not what I meant!”

“Yurina.”

I continued in a calm voice.

“Stop trying to make excuses.”

I pointed at the blood on her sword.

“The blood on your sword doesn’t belong to a monster or a demon.”

It was the blood of someone just like her.

“Knowing that… can you still wield your sword?”

“……”

Yurina stared down at the sword in her hand.

The blood trickling down the blade.

Suppressing the nausea that seemed to rise at any moment, she clenched her teeth.

“…I can do it.”

She gripped her sword and began walking toward the wolf mask.

While she had been talking, the wolf mask had been swinging their greatsword at the surrounding embers, trying to clear an escape route.

“Tch.”

The wolf mask clicked their tongue, seeing the embers remain intact despite their full-force attacks.

“…Is there no other way?”

They hesitated to use the power bestowed upon them by "that person," but there seemed to be no alternative in this situation.

‘First, that girl.’

After briefly glaring at me, who stood still, the wolf mask turned their gaze to Yurina.

Despite her young age, her swordsmanship far surpassed his.

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‘But battles aren’t won by swordsmanship alone.’

As he recalled the pale, trembling expression of the woman who had killed the Fox Mask, the Wolf Mask slowly raised his greatsword.

And then—

Clash!

Kaang! Kang! Kaga-kagang!

The collision of swords scattered shards of aura that tore through the surrounding land.

“Ugh…!”

Yurina winced at the heavy impact transmitted through her hands.

‘What incredible strength.’

Even with her monstrous amount of mana, she could barely endure it.

‘Where in the world did such a hero come from…?’

This wasn’t someone of ordinary ranker level.

No, this was someone at the very top, likely within the top 20 strongest rankers.

A warrior of this caliber would be treated like royalty anywhere on the continent.

So why was someone like him wearing a strange mask and lurking in the slums of Valhalla City?

“Who… are you?”

"Is there anything more foolish than asking the identity of someone wearing a mask?"

Shwaak!

The Wolf Mask crouched low, sweeping his leg across the ground.

“Ugh…!”

Yurina leaped hurriedly to avoid the attack.

And then—

Whoooosh!

The greatsword, wreathed in blazing aura, roared as it slashed upward with terrifying force.

A sharp strike that seemed impossible to evade midair.

But—

Tack!

Yurina concentrated mana into her toes, stepping on the ascending greatsword to propel herself once more into the air.

“Ugh…!”

In an instant, Yurina positioned herself behind the Wolf Mask.

It was the perfect opportunity to finish him.

But—

“Ugh…”

The blade Yurina swung to strike his back froze abruptly in midair.

“As expected, you’re unpolished.”

A faint chuckle escaped from beneath the Wolf Mask.

As he spun around, he slashed at Yurina’s neck.

Kaang!

“Agh!”

Yurina let out a scream as she barely blocked the greatsword, forced backward by the impact.

“Let’s end this quickly. I still need to deal with that gray-haired one after you.”

His dry voice echoed in her ears.

‘Deal with… Dale?’

The absurdity of his statement made her laugh involuntarily.

But instinctively, the thought crossed her mind.

‘What if… Dale wasn’t as strong as he is now?’

What if it were her responsibility to protect Dale?

What if, out of fear of staining her blade with blood, she spared an enemy who later harmed him?

“…Ha.”

Yurina’s expression twisted fiercely.

Imagining Dale lying there, bleeding and helpless, ignited an unbearable fury deep within her chest.

Wooooong!

A burst of silvery light erupted from her chest, her overwhelming mana lifting her body into the air.

“What the…!”

Shock spread across the Wolf Mask’s eyes.

She hadn’t used a special technique—she was simply floating with pure mana, an act as absurd as trying to fly by flapping one’s arms.

“Hoo.”

Suspended midair, Yurina exhaled softly.

From her blade, silver energy formed into ethereal swords, swimming freely through the air like fish in water.

Dozens, no, hundreds of shimmering blades formed a massive circle.

A silver sphere made of sword energy.

Its appearance resembled—

“…The moon?”

The Wolf Mask involuntarily took a step back, overwhelmed by the immense power radiating from the sphere.

Toward him—

“Moonlight.”

Yurina swung her sword downward.

Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!!!

The hundreds of blades forming the silver sphere cascaded like a waterfall toward the Wolf Mask.

“Guh… Ugh!”

Despite swinging his greatsword to deflect the onslaught of blades, the Wolf Mask couldn’t withstand the torrent and collapsed.

“……”

The silvery light emanating from Yurina’s body gradually subsided as she lightly landed on the ground.

Approaching the fallen Wolf Mask, she gripped her sword, her hand trembling slightly.

“…Dale.”

Almost involuntarily, Yurina glanced toward Dale.

Dale stood a step back, arms crossed, as if leaving the decision to her.

“……”

Her gaze returned to the fallen Wolf Mask.

Though his breathing was labored, he was still alive.

‘I have to… kill him with my own hands.’

This wasn’t like when she killed the Fox Mask.

Even knowing he wasn’t a demon, she had to end his life with her blade.

‘There’s no need to feel guilt.’

He was a heinous villain.

No, beyond being a villain, he was an “enemy” who had raised his sword against her.

There was no reason to feel guilt about ending the life of someone who sought to take hers.

So there was no reason to hesitate—

Stop justifying yourself.

Suddenly, Dale’s voice echoed in her mind.

The blood on your blade isn’t that of monsters or demons.

Right.

No matter what excuse she made, this time she was taking the life of someone like herself—a human.

By her will.

With her sword.

Even knowing that… can you still swing your blade?

Yurina took a sharp breath.

At the academy, she’d been taught never to draw her sword except against the servants of the Demon God.

That was the unshakable creed and belief of a hero.

But the world outside the academy was different.

There were times when she had to wield her blade against more than just the servants of the Demon God.

‘Enemies’ could even be other heroes like herself.

And surely, this situation would repeat itself in the future.

If she hesitated to stain her sword with blood every time, she would eventually lose what was most precious to her.

“Dale.”

Yurina reversed her grip on her sword.

Her trembling hand steadied.

“This is my answer.”

Thud.

Her sword pierced the Wolf Mask’s heart.

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