In the great hall on the first floor, where a fierce battle raged, there was a hero and the demons that challenged it.

　There is a figure of a brave man, called a hero, defeating the demons prepared as the enemy of humanity.
　All who see the scene will believe unconditionally that the former is good and the latter is evil.
　Such a scene of battle, commonplace and ubiquitous in this world, was unfolding.

...... I see.

　After a few exchanges, FERRID nodded quietly.
　His gaze flickers to his opponent, who has just responded to his attacks with the exact same attack.

"Is that your ability?

That's the way it is. I absorb all the skills and abilities I see once. Literally, like a mirror. That's my ability to be called the Holy Lion by one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

　And then spin his hand against his chest.
　He is the trump card against heroic heroes.
　I came forward at that meeting because I knew that my abilities were best suited for a heroic hero. Because.

"Your ability is evolution in battle. But as you evolve, I will copy your skills and abilities with my eyes and chase you how far you want to go. Come on, hero. your infinite evolution and I will follow you everywhere!

　That declaration of spin was exactly what was on the mind of FERRID.
　As long as FERRID's ability is evolution, no matter how powerful his opponent is, it is FERRID who will win in the end.
　He has the very opportunistic ability, like the hero of the story.
　If there is someone capable of chasing him, then he is indeed FERRID's only natural enemy.
　His natural enemy is not a strong man.
　It is his equal in following.

And you're not alone in this, heroic hero!

　and the curtain of night covers this place.
　Alucard's blade approaches from within the darkness to disappear into the abyss.
　However, it transcends the theory of reflexes, and with just supernatural intuition, it prevents even blind-spot attacks from an invisible position, and catches the following sword that dispels even the blow of Jack, who has been assimilated into the darkness.

That's a hero: ......

　Jack manages to catch the blow of his own spirit, and as he is hit, he immediately closes the distance.
　Currently, Spin has the same attack and growth rate as FERRID, which keeps FERRID's attack in check, but that's all it is, to say the least.
　None of our attacks can reach them.
　They can't even break your stance, let alone hurt you.

Let's set the record straight for you.

　Once again, Jack, Alucard, and Spin attack simultaneously.
　Even though they had survived unscathed a while ago, it was impossible to survive completely unscathed against this attack that resembled a suicide attack by all three of them at the same time. It was a blow that convinced me so.

It's true that you and I are incompatible. To begin with, my ability only comes into play when my opponent is stronger than me. I'll take on an opponent I can never beat and win in the end. That is the very essence of my ability.

　A moment.
　The three of them see an unbelievable phenomenon.
　A flash of felid's sword is released almost simultaneously in the field of view of the three of them without a moment's hesitation.
　It's not an instantaneous sword that cuts three times.
　It's the ultimate in swordsmanship, so much so that even the time and space axes have been displaced, to cut down three people at once with just a single flash.
　There is not even the slightest gap between the three of them, and they all fall slowly to the ground at exactly the same time.

There's no need to invoke your ability against a lower-ranked opponent. Your power is far weaker than mine. At that point, the victory was already decided from the beginning.

　So they overlooked .
　Seal the ability of the heroic hero.
　So focused on that one point, the foundation for conducting the game was different to begin with.

A weak one defeats an enemy far superior to him. That's a phenomenon that never happens. And when it does happen, that's what people call a miracle.

　From the beginning, the ability of the three parties and the heroic hero were too different in their own strength to begin with.
　No matter how much Spin saw and imitated the techniques and abilities, it was just someone with different specs chasing after a skill beyond his limits.
　Eventually your body can't keep up and you collapse.
　To win against FERRID, you must be less than him.
　But no one weaker than his opponent in battle can win the match.
　After all, they were stuck from the beginning.
　No one is greater than the hero.

Sorry. This is as far as your opponent will go. It won't matter how hard you fight when it's you demons. If we're going to encourage growth, we need to have a fight with Kyou.

　From behind Felid, who tried to go to the end of the stairs to ignore them, saying, "Wait for me.

...... wait.

　It was Jack who stood up.
　His body was on the verge of death from the previous blow.
　I'm not going to let you go.

I'm not going to let you go. ...... If you want to go to my brother, you'll have to defeat me first. ......

　Then, with his usual wry smile, Jack asks the honest question: "Why?

Why?

　He didn't understand.
　Why would he fight to such an extent?
　He wouldn't want to fight if he could.
　That's why he would wield the sword to end it this time.


　Wounded and still standing up.
　Such heroics were most abhorrent to FERRID.

Why do you fight so hard. You don't have to fight me, demon. No one wants to die. So do you, being a monster. Or do you think you're stupid enough to want to be killed by a hero because of your role as a demon?

"I don't think about that one bit. I only think that you put me in charge of this place. Then it's my job to stop you. That's it.

　Jack readies himself again.
　He is probably the lowest-ranking demon here.
　Even compared to the previous two Four Heavenly Kings, Jack O'Lantern is a commonplace monster.
　He does not run away from the strongest heroes, but stands up to them.
　It's just like a brave man standing up against the unbeatable enemy of the story.

...... Okay.

　In that figure, Felid saw something he had once envisioned.
　I was the same at first.
　Just the courage to stand against something.
　That was my only weapon.
　And yet, I became a hero. I became.
　Then he was given the role of the hero
　I wanted to get away from it.

　And the irony is that the monster in front of me, to be defeated by the hero, is playing it.
　Then it is your role as a "hero" to answer it.

　After a moment of silence, Jack moves.
　He delivers the same full-body stab with his rapier.
　But FERRID manages to avoid it.
　Then a swift, unerring flash slices through Jack's head, his head covered in pumpkin.

　There was no voice.
　Even Ferred was silent, having defeated the monster in front of him.
　But the next moment, the silence was broken from the demon that was supposed to have been defeated.

"I've been waiting for this moment.

　A moment later, as if bursting by the voice, FERRID immediately turns around to see Jack, who had been there a moment ago, gone.
　There is no sign of Jack, who should have been there a moment ago.
　No, a faintly captured remnant at the edge of your vision. Is that it?　Ridiculous--!

　The impossible situation stunned Felid.
　Because he also had the ability to perfectly grasp the relative abilities of his opponents in just a few blows.
　This would allow him to match his own growth rate.
　Even in light of his grasp of the enemy's abilities, Jack's movements were impossible.
　It was as if he, like himself, had evolved so rapidly in the course of battle.
　As if we can't keep up with that evolution.

There's just one more thing we can do to counter your evolution: ......

　When I looked, I saw Jack, wearing a torn tailcoat, leaving behind an afterimage, approaching at the speed of God.
　There is a new, different face emerging from the destroyed pumpkin, and it is Jack.

"We must evolve in battle as much as you do. Evolve to a point where your evolution can't immediately catch up with us. And I was the only one of the three who could do it. The other two had already evolved to the point of being lords.

　Out of it emerged the face of a crowned pumpkin.
　It is indeed the legendary face of the highest tribe of jack-o-lanterns.
　The king of pumpkins, the highest-ranking race that no one has ever reached.

Evolution!　This class change, which only we demons are allowed to make, is the last thing you can do to counter your evolution!

　The flash of Jack, who has become the Pump King, closes in on Ferid with unprecedented speed and sharpness.
　The speed of his evolution is so rapid that Faredo's reflexes can't keep up with Jack's, and his move on Jack is slightly delayed.

　So for Fared, his natural enemy is not the strong.
　A weak man, weaker than him, and a weak man chasing after him is the hero's natural enemy.

　The two blades mingle, and the impact spreads the shock of air vibrations through the great hall on the first floor.
　It transmits the vibration that, after only a few seconds, becomes an earthquake that shakes the building.

　The two swords had just intertwined, and Jack's sword had pierced Ferid's dominant arm.

...... How is ...... a demon that has been struck by ...... the lowest jack-o'-lantern of the bottom... ... the strongest heroes have been rewarded with a shot, Yo ......

　And then Faredo fired his sword through Jack's chest, and this time Jack fell silent on the spot.

...... Oh, I admit. You've been the hero of this place, Jack.

　It was a small stab at heroism by a demon to be defeated.
　But that is exactly what Ferrid was referring to earlier, an absolutely impossible event.
　The only person who could do the miracle of a heroic figure in this battle was the weakest demon of all, Jack.

　And unbeknownst to Jack, the outcome of this battle for him would be the outcome of this battle as never before.