Riena’s Side (2)
“Defeating this many magic beasts… Even for you, Hero-sama, that’s impossible! And it’s not just their numbers—there are dozens of high-ranking beasts among them!”
It wasn’t only mid-tier or lower magic beasts—there were Gigant Grizzlies, Death Antlers, and other formidable high-ranking creatures swarming the area.
It was only natural that Riena would feel discouraged in the face of such overwhelming odds.
However, Shuhei the Hero merely smirked with unwavering confidence.
“Well, just watch me, Riena. I happened to learn a perfectly suited new ultimate technique the other day. This is the perfect chance to test it out.”
“A new ultimate technique? When did you even have time to learn something like that?”
“The other day, while I was taking a bath, I suddenly heard a woman’s voice in my head. It sounded a lot like the voice I heard when I first drew the Holy Sword. And just like that, I instinctively knew I had gained a new technique.”
“Wait—hold on! That was the goddess Athena’s divine revelation! You actually heard the voice of the goddess Athena?! That’s incredible! As expected of Hero-sama!”
Despite being completely surrounded by over a thousand magic beasts in a dire, life-or-death situation, Riena couldn’t contain her excitement, her breath quickening as she spoke.
“So that was the goddess Athena’s revelation, huh? …Wait, this really isn’t the time to be chatting. Riena, put up your usual defensive barrier, and make sure it’s at full power. I don’t want you getting caught up in this.”
“Uh, at full power, it’ll only last for about ten seconds, you know?”
“That’s more than enough. Five seconds is all I need. Now hurry up and set it up before the beasts charge in.”
“If Hero-sama says so…! O most revered goddess Athena, grant me the sacred shield of divine protection! Absolute Defense Barrier—[Sacred Aegis]!”
As Riena chanted, her words took shape, and a radiant silver light enveloped her, forming a sacred barrier.
Watching from the corner of his eye, Shuhei the Hero began his own incantation.
“O holy flames of purging light, cleanse the world and annihilate the wicked! I bear the will of divine justice! Holy Light—Final Release! [Sacred Burning Burst Big Bang]!”
With a powerful cry, Shuhei swung his Holy Sword down from its raised stance.
And then—!
A blinding silver light erupted from Shuhei’s position, triggering an immense explosion!
The sheer force of his purging radiance surged outward, consuming everything in its path within hundreds of meters, reducing all evil to nothingness in a storm of holy fire!
When the divine light finally faded, only two figures remained—Shuhei, who had unleashed his ultimate technique, and Riena, protected by her absolute defense barrier.
Just the two of them.
“I-I can’t believe this…! Over a thousand magic beasts—including all those high-ranking ones—wiped out in just five seconds? Am I dreaming? Ow… Sniffle…”
To confirm whether what she had just witnessed was real, Riena pinched her own cheek—hard. It hurt.
Her tearful eyes widened as she finally accepted that this was, indeed, reality.
“To be honest, I surprised myself a little… Isn’t this technique way too powerful?”
“At this point, this isn’t even a single combat skill—it’s more like a large-scale annihilation attack meant for taking on entire armies.”
“Yeah… Now that I think about it, maybe the goddess Athena’s revelation wasn’t actually wrong. Maybe she wasn’t predicting our defeat—maybe she was guiding me to use this technique.”
“Ah… If that’s the case, then it makes perfect sense.”
“I mean, the goddess Athena is the highest deity in this world. No way she’d make a mistake—whoa… Ngh… Ugh…!”
Suddenly, in the middle of their conversation, Shuhei let out a groan, his body swaying unsteadily.