The Final Battle

“There it is…”

Walking up to the intimidating and scary black castle, surrounded by a fence of metal spikes and skeletons, were three individuals gladly dressed in white attire and shining like stars in the night sky.

One was a gorgeous elf woman in a white cloak who wielded a golden staff. Another was a muscular man with red hair and heavy armor who carried a shield the size of a family table. In the center was a handsome young man with spiky blonde hair, blue eyes, shiny silver armor, and a long, flowing red cape.

These three were the heroes destined to save Ihari from the long clutches of war. The elf was Arthion—a priestess raised by the church to one day accompany the Chosen Hero. The big man was Marcus, the Captain of the Grand Knights of the Kingdom of Lydio. And finally the chosen hero himself—Kiyo Hoshi.

“How long has it been? Three months?”

Kiyo walked up to the gigantic doors of the castle. Despite the frightening appearance of the land before him, he showed no signs of fear.

“When I first came here I was nothing but a weak sniveling boy behind your robe Arthion.”

Arthion's cheeks turned red as she looked away.

“D-don’t say things like that! Back then, we were foolish to send you directly here when you weren’t ready…”

“Hm…but now you are right?”

Marcus asked as he folded his arms.

“Has the Sword of Mane called out to you?”

Kiyo nodded.

“Yes. I can hear the Voice of God. He is telling me that I am ready to slay the evil behind this door. And once that happens…Ihari will have the peace it deserves.”

Marcus hummed.

“Our long journey has taken us here. We have fought many powerful foes and lost many friends. We have had fun moments including sad ones. But here it is…the end of our story.”

“I-I don’t like the term of endings,” Arthion admitted. “It makes me feel worried…”

“Don’t be Arthion…”

Kiyo put both his hands on the door.

“This is only the beginning!”

And with one great push, the doors opened revealing a long and dark hallway lit up by floating lanterns letting off purple fire. On the floor was a long red carpet with golden edges that seemed to have stretched for miles. Kiyo, Marcus, and Arthion walked down the carpet without stopping. In an hour they finally reached the end of the hallway which revealed a throne made of the skeletons of goats.

Sitting on that throne with a smug smile was a gorgeous woman with pale skin and eyes as purple as amethyst gems. Her hair was long and white while on the top of her head were goat-like horns. She wore a long velvet dress with a black vine-like design and two strange lights circled her bare feet which both bore black tattoos of an animalistic eye.

“Jinn…”

Kiyo said the name of the woman on the throne as if it was a forbidden curse. While he still kept his smile his eyes squinted——hinting at suppressed rage and hatred.

The demon lady known as Jinn giggled, amused by the appearance of Kiyo.

“Wonderful to see you again Kiyo…you have grown quite a bit.”

“You can say that again. My strength has doubled since our last fight!”

Kiyo held out his right hand and emitted a pure white aura from his body.

“SYSTEM ON!”

Appearing before Kiyo was a holographic screen that showcased information of importance:

KIYO: LEVEL 100

CLASS: HOLY KNIGHT

SPECIAL SKILL: GOD’S CHOSEN

Jinn hummed in interest. She also was able to read the screen as well.

“Level 100…in only three months. That is quite impressive. No other human warrior I’ve encountered was ever able to reach that far in that amount of time. Even the humans who surrendered and served me could not even compare…”

“That’s right, Jinn,” Kiyo continued talking as the screen disappeared. “I am now at the same level as you and I have mastered the full power of The Sword of Mane——God’s Divine Hand! With this power, I will finally put an end to the terror you have caused in Ihari!”

Kiyo then unsheathed his blade, revealing its true form. A perfectly made sword with a long blade that seemed to showcase the skies of Heaven.

“And Kiyo is not alone!”

Coming up to Kiyo’s side were Marcus and Arthion who held out their weapons, ready to fight.

“We are the pillars that will hold him steady! And with the Light of God——we will purge you from Ihari forever, Jinn!”

Marcus let off a loud grunt as he slammed the shield onto the ground——cracking the stone floor with his immense strength.

“It is time to avenge the People of Onu——the elven country of Yggdrasil——all others you have slaughtered in your conquest for power!”

“Ha! Do you three really think you have what it takes to stop me?”

Jinn rose from her seat. Her dark, menacing aura surrounded her, denseening the air in the room. For a second, the resolve on the faces of the three heroes wavered.

“I have lived for a thousand years…breaking free from the horrid dimension that was my home…and now this world has exactly what I want! Endless magic and worthless souls ready to serve me! How many of their “Chosen Heroes” have I killed? I would hundreds——close to a thousand! And in the end…you three will be a part of my collection!”

The darkness erupted from Jinn like lava from a volcano. Her eyes turned dark as she smiled widely, showing her sharp fangs.

“I will take your corpses to the pathetic masses and parade them like puppets! Maybe then——and finally then——will the people understand who rules over them! So come on, heroes! Come to your DEATH!!”

“The one who will die——“

Kiyo lifted up the Sword of Mane which left a blinding light.

“IS YOU!!”

With a loud battle cry, Kiyo charged Jinn with Marcus and Arthion coming from behind. Jinn smirked as he held out her hand which emitted a bright and golden glow.

The final battle between The Chosen Heroes and the Demon Lord had begun…