The Last Pillar

The day was clear. The sky was tinted with a warm orange hue, signaling the arrival of sunset. It could have been a perfectly peaceful day within the territory of Beaufort, if not for the fact that, at its very center, a fierce battle for the fate of humanity was taking place.

“Hya!” exclaimed a dark elf as she attempted to land a blow on her target—a large man—from the air, only to miss as her attack was blocked and she was sent flying back by a powerful shove.

“Why would you try a direct attack against that monster!? Are you stupid!?” protested a small sphere of light with orange hues that floated beside her.

“Shut up!”

Shortly after that exchange, the man took advantage of his imposing height—over two meters tall—to lunge at the girl and attack her.

“[Soul Spear]!”

However, before the man could connect his strike, a barrage of magical spears slammed directly into him.

“Kris!”

“Keep your distance, we’ll look for an opening!” the mage shouted at the dark elf, who nodded resolutely as she obeyed his order.

As for the man, the attack only forced him to step back slightly, not only due to his massive size, but also because his extremely muscular body made his skin incredibly resistant to both ordinary attacks and magic alike; and that was without even considering the fact that this man was not human, but a demon. His name was Karver Von Stein, the last general of the demonic army, and also its strongest. The so-called “Destroyer Fist.”

“That was a good attack, but you’ll need more than that,” Karver said in a deep voice.

“That guy really is tough…” the mage muttered, somewhat discouraged.

Without wasting any time, Karver used part of his strength to rip one of the pillars from the hall and hurl it toward Kris, the team’s mage.

“[Judgment Blade]!” Kris shouted, summoning a blade made of mana and launching it toward the pillar to split it in half. However, Karver had already anticipated that he would be able to defend against it, so in addition to the pillar, he made sure to throw a massive rock from another angle, ensuring the mage would not notice it in time.

“Damn it!”

“[Sacred Boost]!” a girl shouted from afar. It was a spell meant to enhance the target’s abilities. However, it was not cast on Kris.

“My turn!”

At that moment, the rock flying toward the mage was split cleanly in half with such precision that it seemed like magic, but instead, it was accomplished solely by a boy and his greatsword.

“Garrik, take advantage of Aurelia’s enhancement and attack Karver together with Tyra!”

“A thank you would’ve been nice too! Such a rude kid…” said Garrik, the swordsman, before charging into battle. His relaxed demeanor could have been irritating to many, but to Kris—his childhood friend—it was reassuring, as he knew that with Garrik by his side, things would turn out fine.

Garrik’s advance was immediate, attacking Karver ferociously with his sword and even managing to destabilize the enormous demon thanks to his exceptional skill.

“Dust!” Tyra, the dark elf, shouted to the sphere of light accompanying her.

“I’ve got this!” it replied, manipulating the surrounding rocks to envelop Tyra’s fist, allowing her to land a powerful blow to Karver’s face.

Garrik took advantage of the distraction to attack with a slash, but despite having taken a direct hit from a dark elf trained in the art of combat, Karver managed to regain his footing, dodging Garrik’s blade, slipping past his side, and striking him in return. Garrik barely managed to defend himself with his sword before being sent crashing into a wall. Fortunately, Aurelia’s enhancement greatly reduced the damage.

“Garrik!” Tyra cried out, worried for her companion, but in her moment of carelessness, Karver took the opportunity to attempt to kick her and put some distance between them. Luckily for Tyra, Aurelia managed to intervene.

“[Protection]!” she exclaimed, conjuring a defensive spell to prevent Tyra from being hit, forming a dome of sacred magic around her ally.

Karver grew irritated by the situation. The team he was facing coordinated so well that they left him with barely any room to attack, so he decided to create an opening on his own by slamming the ground with a large portion of his strength. This not only created a massive fissure, but also a small earthquake powerful enough to destabilize the entire team.

Once the group was left vulnerable, he grabbed another enormous rock from the ground and hurled it toward Aurelia, the team’s support. Without her, the defensive spells would no longer be a problem.

Kris barely managed to react, launching a [Judgment Cut] at the rock, but due to the earthquake, he could not strike it properly. Even so, he managed to disintegrate it enough to prevent Aurelia from taking critical damage, though she was still knocked unconscious.

As Karver looked satisfied with his attack, Garrik charged him head-on, barely managing to evade him, but on the second exchange, Tyra struck the demon from behind, creating an opening large enough for Garrik to land a direct slash across Karver’s chest.

In pain, Karver struck both Garrik and Tyra to force them back. His wound burned, not only because of the cut itself, but because Garrik’s sword was none other than the sacred sword, a weapon whose blade was imbued with holy-element magic, lethal to demons.

Karver let out a sigh as he looked at the team facing him.

“Good coordination, strong offensive power, and a saint with top-tier defensive spells. I can see how you managed to defeat my comrades,” Karver said in a tone of respect. “And that is precisely why I won’t let you pass!” he shouted, slamming the ground even harder than before. This time, however, Tyra and Garrik were already prepared, so they leapt forward to attack Karver simultaneously—Tyra with her rock-covered fist, and Garrik with his sword.

Karver dodged Garrik’s blade, knowing that another slash could deal him serious damage, and instead focused on meeting Tyra’s attack with a punch of his own. The impact was tremendous, but Karver’s strength surpassed hers even with earth magic, allowing him to win the clash and immediately counterattack, striking Tyra and smashing her into the ground with another of his powerful punches. The dark elf barely managed to defend herself, ending up sprawled on the ground in pain.

Now, with Tyra temporarily out of the fight, Karver focused his attacks on Garrik.

“Tyra!”

“I-I’m fine!”

“Help the hero, young Kris!” Dust shouted, and Kris nodded.

Back in the fray, Karver seemed to be overwhelming Garrik with his sheer size and brute strength, leaving him no opening to use the sacred sword effectively.

Kris watched the battle with a serious expression, trying to find any opening or advantage they could use to defeat Karver.

“Hgh…”

At that moment, Aurelia began to regain consciousness.

Kris’s eyes lit up. He turned his gaze toward Tyra, who was struggling to stand, and murmured something while wearing a slightly sinister smile.

“I’ve got it.”

***

The clash between Garrik and Karver seemed to be reaching a critical point. Garrik had managed to land a few slashes, but they were only superficial, and the pain they caused was not enough to stop Karver, whose endurance seemed limitless. He was a true monster.

The effects of Aurelia’s enhancement had long since faded, leaving Garrik cornered. He was beginning to despair at his opponent’s overwhelming resilience, yet he remained determined to attack, a determination born from the fact that his friend had not fallen yet.

And as if his faith were rewarded, a green light began to shine beside them. It was Kris, charging his [Soul Spear] to its maximum power.

“Garrik, I need an opening!”

“Leave it to me!” Garrik roared back as he stopped defending altogether, focusing solely on attacking.

Caught off guard, Karver began to give ground slightly. He found it surprising that the warrior who had seemed cornered moments before was now giving everything he had simply because of his companion’s presence. It was complete trust in the belief that his friend would turn the tide of battle.

Karver smiled at the sight, finding it moving and reminiscent of the moments he had shared with his own comrades—the other demonic generals. However, for that very reason, he could not yield to those who had slain his friends. Not without giving everything he had.

Karver launched a counterattack against Garrik. Slashes and wounds began to accumulate on both combatants; it was an exchange where neither cared about defending. Everything depended on who would prove stronger.

“[Soul Spear]!”

The massive green spear shot forward. Karver, having never stopped paying attention to Kris and his attack, managed to repel Garrik for a brief moment, buying himself a second to dodge the spear.

“Hya!”

However, his plan failed.

Tyra, who had barely managed to stand, put everything she had into striking Karver’s back with one of her rock-covered fists, creating an opening. It lasted only an instant, but it was enough for the magical spear to pierce Karver’s chest, right into the wound Garrik had inflicted earlier.

The demon thought he could withstand the spell. After all, his body was incredibly resistant to all kinds of attacks. But as that thought crossed his mind, his chest began to burn.

Karver panicked. He looked at Kris in confusion, and then noticed Aurelia, hidden behind the mage. That was when he understood.

One of the abilities of the “Illuminated,” like Aurelia, was the ability to temporarily imbue any kind of attack with the sacred element.

Kris needed an opening, so he relied on Garrik, but anticipating that it might not be enough, he turned to Tyra as a backup plan. He hid Aurelia behind himself to secretly imbue his attack with the sacred element, and deliberately drew Karver’s attention by preparing his spell so he would not notice Tyra.

That was Kris’s role. Not only a talented mage, but the team’s strategist.

Taking advantage of the fact that Karver could not defend himself due to Kris’s attack, Garrik delivered the finishing blow with a powerful slash across Karver’s back, leaving him unconscious and out of combat.

The battle ended with the victory of the hero of the sacred sword and his party.

***

“How the hell is that guy still alive!?” Tyra shouted.

“The report wasn’t lying when they said he was resilient…” Kris said as he walked toward Karver, holding a collar in his hand.

It was an inhibitor collar capable of reducing an individual’s physical strength and magical capacity to nearly zero, created by the greatest mind in the kingdom to contain prisoners of immense power.

“Kris! Wasn’t I supposed to be the one to create the opening!? Was it always Tyra!?”

“Heh, heh, looks like I’ve finally surpassed you… Maybe I should be the heroine now!”

“Don’t listen to her, Sir Hero! You fought incredibly well, as always!” Aurelia said, trying to encourage Garrik.

“You, a heroine? Not with such primitive attacks! Think more before you charge in, girl!” Dust scolded the dark elf, whose expression shifted from satisfaction to irritation.

“That’s my fighting style, deal with it!”

Kris watched them argue in silence, and after a moment, he began to smile slightly. He then prepared a small spell in his hand, which shot through the ceiling, exploding in the sky and leaving behind striking green flares. It was the signal that the mission had been a success.

“All right, we’re done here. Let’s wait for the army to come and take Karver away.” Then Kris’s expression turned serious. “We need to prepare to face the queen.”

Karver was the last of the four pillars of the demonic army. With them gone, the entire country had been liberated, but there still remained the mind behind the attack on humanity, lurking deep within demonic territory.

Eventually, the army arrived, and the team was finally able to leave and rest.

The hero’s party. A team composed of Tyra, the dark elf of great strength and a master combatant; Dust, an earth spirit with whom Tyra had formed a contract; Aurelia, the saint and support of the group; Kris, the mage and strategist; and Garrik, the hero of the sacred sword. Warriors of great ability who stood between humanity and its imminent downfall.

They had overcome yet another obstacle on their journey, but the most important one of all still lay ahead.