Passing through the second-floor hall and climbing the stairs leading to the third floor.
　It was a grand staircase that was as wide as the hall, and the construction of the stairs and passageway that would lead to the throne room was different and gleaming.

　But that's not what we're looking at.
　We're looking at only one thing.
　The king of this castle is the source of this matter.
　All we want to do is punch him.

　Eventually, as you pass through the long grand staircase, you find yourself in the throne room, which is slightly smaller than the second-floor hall, but still overwhelmingly large, with a figure sitting on the throne farther down.

Welcome.

"Oh, I'm here to see you, Your Majesty.

　Rostam the Great.
　The master of this castle and our final objective, our final enemy, has finally arrived.

You've done well to drive off that brute of a man. Not only that, the hero and my brother and I have settled in our respective places. If we speak only of victory and defeat, I'll tell him that your camp won in each case.

　I was relieved to hear that, and at the same time, I admired my friends' performance more than anything else.
　Ys, you made it back safely to Phytis.
　Jack, you were the first born and weakest in my field and now you got your shot against a hero.
　I couldn't stop my heart from trembling just to hear that.
　My partner did it.
　So what if I didn't do it here?
　In simple terms of strength, there's probably more difference between the emperor and me than there is between Jack and hero Felid.
　But what about it.
　These guys aren't a cheat... but they've got guts.
　That's enough to take an arrow to this guy.

"Imperial hero. I'll beat you up now. You know why after what you did to me?

"Of course. That's what this is all about. I'm glad to see it's working so well.

　You can't just sit back and watch the emperor look at me with a satisfied look on his face, and my stomach gets even angrier.
　This guy has been trying to test me since the first time we met, and I really don't like it.
　How much he thinks he's the emperor.
　I can see why Phitis and Amanes hate this guy.
　I really need to put a bullet in his face, or dozens of them, to make him sick.

If you can put one of those fists in my face, then you win. After that, I'll do whatever you, the winner, tells me. Of course, if you want my life, I'll be happy to give it to you.

　Hmm?　I told you that now, didn't I?　Well, then--

If I win, I'm going to undo all the brainwashing you've done on the people I know. If there are others, I'll have them all unbrained. Then we'll figure out what to do. But for now, as I said before.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find it.

I'm going to punch you in the face, that's the most important thing!

"Very well, come on.

　And as soon as the decisive battle is agreed upon, the emperor rises up, and at the same time there is a momentary anomaly.

?

　We all instantly stopped on our feet.
　It was as if we were frozen in place as if we had been subjected to some kind of time stoppage.
　What was this?　Goldbind ......?

　As we were bewildered, the emperor held up a large sword more than two meters long, which he swung on the spot, and the shock wave from the sword blasted all of us into the wall behind him.

Ughh!

　This power from more than a few meters away is ...... or, for real, what was that thing that just happened?
　Time stop?　No, time was working properly, and I don't think it was like that.
　Rather, I feel like it's closer to the expression "golden bondage.

What's the matter with you?　You're going to hit me. Then you'll have to get close to me first. And even that will be difficult to do in front of me.

　And then, looking down at you with an easygoing attitude.
　You're not the only one. .......

"Hey, Amanes. What the hell was that?　Is it his ability or something?

　Then I questioned Amanes, who would know him better than anyone else in the room.

"I don't know!

　And clearly affirm that .
　Ah, yes, I know.

But at least I've never seen or heard of an imperial hero having such abilities ......

　A slight cold sweat is on Amarnes' face as he says this.
　I see...is this an ability unknown to the same seven heroes?
　This is probably his trump card, but you can't get close to him without breaking it.

There's no need to get close to him, Cultivator.

　You see Amarnes put his hand on the ground and begin to create countless armor around it.
　That's it!　Here's the advantage if you keep your distance!


　Hmmm, wrong tactic!　Imperial hero!
　Just as I thought.
　With a sound like breaking glass, the weapons just before they were created from the ground, centering on Amanes, shattered one by one.

?　Idiot?

　That's not only shocking to Amarnes, it's shocking to us too.
　What the hell was that?
　There is no indication that the emperor has done anything.
　Nevertheless, it looks as if Amanes' weapon has shattered on its own: ......?

"Let me tell you something, Amanes. Your generative powers are useless in front of me. If you want to hurt me, you can walk directly up to me and raise your fists.

　The emperor said that and provoked him.
　We've been playing with his abilities so far, like he's playing with us.
　d*mn it, no, calm down.
　I slowly take a deep breath on the spot.

　I don't have special powers or the ability to fight like Amarnes and Hel and the others.
　But there's something I can do.
　I have all the information I learned on earth, from manga, anime, novels, and all sorts of other miscellaneous things I learned on earth, as I taught Hel in various kitchen settings.
　It's the same as it always has been.
　There's only one thing I can do: pull a few tricks.

　The cooking duel with Fitis, the cooking duel with Kasarina, and the cooking competition at the castle were all won by tricks pulled from that seemingly useless knowledge.
　If entanglement is my weapon, I'll be able to see through the trickery of my opponent!
　I observe the imperial hero's movements once more.
　Helu, who is standing next to me, smiles at me as she realizes this.

"Brother, I'll give you an opening for him, so you can expose his ability and shoot him in the face.

　Then Helu said and ran out.
　She instantly closed the distance between her and the emperor, and when she was only a few meters away from the emperor, she took a leap with her trembling legs to enter his bosom at once and stepped wide.

?

　The slightest shock.
　That uncomfortable feeling runs through my body.
　At the same time, Hel's body seems to be pinned to the ground, unable to move a single step, and the emperor's sword is released again, the shock wave blowing Hel's body to where I am.

"Kyah!

　I manage to catch Helu, who was blown away, with my whole body.
　I'm relieved to see that there are no wounds, but Helu is still in my arms and she's blushing, "Oh, oh, oh, oh, my brother held me, oh, oh, my brother held me!
　I'm sorry, but this is a serious scene, so I'll get into that later.

"I understand at last, Emperor Yuusha. The mystery of your abilities.

"How?

　Yes, it was understandable by observing Helu's earlier lunge and the emperor's movements in response.
　But how is that possible?
　But let's get straight to the point.

"You ...... are a horrible, poor extortionist.

　To that statement of mine, Helu said, "Huh? The emperor and Amanes have a scowling look on their faces, as if the word "shakedown" does not exist in this world.

Vibrational waves. The moment you kick the ground, your own right foot will create a terrifying vibration in this space. That vibration wave travels across the floor and causes our foot to vibrate in the same way as it does when we take a big step to kick the ground. The vibration causes our feet to stick together and we cannot move from there. This is what your bondage is all about.

　Yes, I've seen it in some comics before.
　Touching a vibrating object causes it to resonate and become one with you.
　The guy was causing it by vibrating his right leg so fast that he didn't even notice it was happening to him.
　What a horrible poor shakedown.
　He wasn't even human when he did that.

Wow, that's impressive. That's really great man, Keogh, to figure that out in such a short time. I'll admit you're right.

　That said, the emperor reveals the seeds of his abilities, but that doesn't change the situation.
　Rather, how can I get this close without kicking the ground at this distance.
　Perhaps even the destruction of Amanes' creation weapon was a phenomenon that took advantage of its vibrations.
　The weapon disrupts creation by applying constant vibration before it is fully created.
　Amanes' weapons can only be created from the ground or floor.
　If they are disturbed by different vibrations, it is obvious that the structure will crack.
　This thing is far too incompatible with Amarnes.

"I see. It's my brother. It's not a problem. It'll just be a matter of getting close to the guy instead of kicking the ground.

　Then he smiles his usual kitchen smile.
　Hell, you can't just go to ......, come on!　Don't do it!　And before I could stop him.

"If you can't get to the ground, you can just approach it from the air!

　I said and immediately used my steel-like legs to make a leap at once, and approached the imperial hero.
　But--

"Let's just say it's shallow.

　The emperor's muttering was exactly what I was thinking.
　A leap from the sky.
　There's no way this man would have taken no measures against such a method that anyone could think of.
　No, a leap from the air is the most revealing act of all.


　Because there was nowhere else to avoid except free fall, which would create a decisive gap that could easily be shot with a bow.
　And Helu noticed it too, but it was too late.

"Next time you will listen to your brother's advice before you act. Demon king's daughter.

　The emperor's sword is held at the ready, and the sword is swung down to land on Helu.
　Not good!　If you take that shot, even Helu is in danger.
　But the vibrations from the emperor's feet have frozen me on the ground again, as if he hadn't seen through our actions.

　God d*mn it, ......!
　The lower body may not move, but the upper body can move, even the arms and fingertips can move, but only the legs can't move as if they were completely frozen!
　The distance that should be visible in front of you is too far away.
　The dilemma is that the distance that should be reached in seconds if you run, will never arrive.

　Yes, in a situation like this, if only I had that guy's ability: ......!
　Even Lily and Amanes would not be able to get close to the emperor's heroes.
　But there is one hero among the seven great heroes who is a natural enemy of the emperor.
　But that fellow was gone.
　I said I wouldn't help you in this battle.
　It's a foolish thing to want to help someone else after all this time, but I'll still do anything if I can save my friends from being hurt in front of me!
　Please!　Give me a hand!
　So, the moment I strongly believe in my heart...

"...... poof!

　I have seen Locke, who had been holding me by the shoulders with his head, look into my face.

...... I know that he took Papa's place, so I'll help you to defeat him: ......

　It's not a look of resentment or hatred, as it was some time ago.
　It was just a genuine desire to help me.
　It's just a look of pure desire to help me, and I want to help my friends who are hurt in front of me.

...... If Papa can't run, Locke will connect you instead. If you can't run, Locke will connect you instead. ...... is where he and Pa are.

　A moment later, I felt my body being pulled by something.
　No, is this a distortion of space?

　When I noticed, the distance between me and the emperor, which had been spread out in front of me, shrunk to zero at once.
　In an instant, I moved from the place where I was just now to the place where the emperor was.
　It's exactly the kind of instantaneous transference that I had hoped for from the Seven Heroines Tsurugi.
　Locke bridged the distance between me and the emperor.

　The moment my eyes widen in astonishment, the emperor turns around to face me.
　But it's a step too late.
　My response to Hel, and our supposedly improbable shifting, gave me just enough time to raise my fist to the emperor.

　That's right, I didn't waste any of my friends coming here.
　I was there to stop Lily's attack.
　Hel was there to kill Lily and give the emperor an opening.
　Because Jack was there, I could stop the heroic Felid.
　With Ys, I got Phytis back in one piece.
　Locke helped me save the emperor's last stand.
　And here's your answer.
　This isn't just about me; it's about the growth of my friends.
　That's why, Emperor Rostam, the reason for your loss is--

"That you messed with my guys!

　A full-body blow.
　My fist, with unprecedented force, enters the emperor's face, blowing off his beautiful face and blowing the emperor's heroic body wide open.

　At last--yeah, I did it!
　The moment I felt that goal was achieved.

　My pack began to shine.
　Not only that, the entire castle was shaken, and a pillar of light rose up from the window somewhere far away on the ground.
　I'm dumbfounded by the vibrations as if something is being reborn, and the emperor wipes up the blood that flows from his mouth as he falls and mutters to me.

...... It looks like you've achieved this.

　When I turned around, I saw the emperor smiling at me with a fist in his face, but that's what I wanted.

The world--growth.