Weak

"Cindros." I pointed the blade towards him.

Cindros chuckled. "The hero knows of me. What an honor!" He gives a bow, in complete mockery. "Lucky me! I deide to go wreck havoc for a bit after being told of your arrival to this world. And what do you know! The man of the hour is here."

Cindros began descending from the skies, getting closer. "Came to end me so early on? You don't waste time."

I glared at him. "Enough games, Cindros. I never understood why even come burn a small village? Too much of a coward  to try your hand at the capital?"

Cindros laughed in amusement. "Oh no no! That's the main event. The time will come soon enough. For now..:" He snapped his fingers, sending a ball of flame into another nearby house, setting it on fire. "... I'm just trying to fan the flames resentment. Cause a little chaos here and there. Maybe then the royal family will finally take the threat seriously. But it seems I found something even better!"

His feet touched the ground. And slowly walked towards me. "So how about we get this show on the road, eh, hero? I'm itching to see what you're made of. If you really are worth all the fuss."

I scoffed. Just like a last time, he never took the situation seriously until his last breath. I rushed towards him, ready to attack. I may not have the same physique that I'm used to, but I know the technique by heart.

I poured holy magic onto the blade, making it shine with a divine white aura. And then, I slashed at the demon. Cindros backpedalled. "Woah there, careful with how you handle that. It could really kill me."

I wasn't hearing any of what he had to say. I attacked again, which he promptly dodged. It's difficult to fight with this body. I feel sluggish, and it's like I'm already out of breath. But I can't stop now. I continued with my barrage of attacks. Cindros dodged each one of them, gracefully evaded each time. I poured all my strenght into a downward slash, which he used as a chance to put some distance between us.

I looked at his expression. He clearly looked dissapointed. "Is this really what the hero is all about? A complete amateur at swordsmanship with above-average holy magic and a little blessing. Please, don't tell me that's all. I might actuall fall asleep here."

I took quick breaths. I'm honestly running out of stamina. I hoped I could defeat him easier this time around, but my body is not cooperating with me. I guess it'll have to be like last time.

"Cindros!" I charged at him. Cindros wasn't particularly happy with my display.

I slashed at him. Once again, he dodged to the side. "You're pathetic!" And instantly delivered a heavy, fiery blow at my stomach. Though his body didn't seem particularly strong, he drove his fist into me with the strenght of a sledgehammer. The only reason I wasn't charred alive was due to the delicate protective barrier offered by the Goddess' blessing, but the hit still made my view fade, sending me flying across the middle of the village. I collided with a tree, slumping on it like a doll, my blade fell to my side.

I felt dizzy. My view was blurry. I don't have the strenght to stand up anymore, I can tell. I tried to focus on what was in front of me. It was Cindros, slowly walking towards me. He was speaking, but the ringing in my ears didn't allow me to hear any of his words. Eventually, the ringing came to a stop, and I could hear him clearly.

"If this is the best the Goddess had to offer, then I don't even what to say." He got closer, and crouched down to my level. "I thought you had more in you. But instead, what did i get? Your swordsmanship is sloppy. I've seen better handling of a blade from footsoldiers. You're slow. I didn't break a sweat dodging your attacks. You're cocky. You had me all excited for a battle, and you went and made a fool of yourself." Cindros stood up, turning his back towards me. "But of all these issues, none of them are thr biggest of all. The biggest problem with you is-"

And that's when I took my chance. I grabbed the blade to my side, and imbued it with all the holy magic within my body. With all the strenght I had left in me, I did one final effort and swung at his torso, the blade connecting perfectly against it. 

This is how Cindros lost last time. Due to his pride. Due to his arrogance. Just like last time, he turned his back towards me, believing he had won. I still remember the look on his face when i cut him down. His eyes were wide, filled with terror and surprise. He didn't ever think he'd fall in a single hit. His body then began to dissapear, turning into a black miasma, until he was gone without a trace of him left. I couldn't wait to see that look on his face once more.

Yet my sword didn't slice through. As soon as the power-infused blade came into contact with his ribs, it came to a full halt, as if clashing against metal. It's not possible. I did the same aslast time, so how... How do I have no effect over him?

Feeling my strike, Cindros slowly turned towards me. His golden eyes shined with fury. His right fist clenched, and I could see a huge amount of fire magic gather to it. Every second, his fist shone brighter and brighter. The air around me was so hot it was difficult to breathe. Cindros leered at me, like how a human would see a cockroach at their feet. "Yes... That's the biggest issue with you." His fist shone even brighter, the flames gotten even stronger, as he pulled it back, readying for his attack. The air itself felt like it was on fire. 

"Your biggest issue is that you're weak."

And so, with all his might, his fist slammed into me with a mighty shovel hook. I felt an instense, burning pain in my body for a brief second. Afterwards, my view went completely dark. I didn't feel anything anymore. I couldn't see the light of his figure. I couldn't feel the hot air grazing my skin. I couldn't hear the sizzling of the flames all around me. My mind shut off, and my consciousness returned to nothing.

I have failed.