Mike took the first hit head-on. The heroine's golden sword crashed against his chest with a deafening metallic sound.
CLANG.
And then…
Mike went flying.
His body shot through the air like a projectile, crossing the entire hall in seconds before slamming into one of the black stone columns.
CRASH.
The impact was brutal. The column cracked, chunks of rock falling around him as a cloud of dust rose into the air.
Mike remained there, embedded in the stone, eyes shut, waiting for the pain.
The pain that…
…never came.
Huh?
He slowly opened his eyes, blinking several times.
He felt nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
No pain. No discomfort. Not even a slight tingle.
It was like he'd been hit with a pillow.
…What the fuck?
Mike looked down at his chest, where the sword had struck him. The armor didn't even have a scratch.
Wait.
Seriously?
He looked up at the heroine, who was already charging at him again with her sword raised and absolute determination on her face.
"YOU WON'T ESCAPE, DAMNED DEMON!" she shouted, leaping into the air and preparing another downward strike.
Mike barely had time to process what was happening before the sword slammed into him again.
CLANG.
This time, the blow sent him flying to the other side of the hall, making him roll across the stone floor like an empty soda can.
He rolled. And rolled. And rolled.
Until he finally stopped, face down, arms spread out.
…
…Nothing.
Again, nothing.
Mike slowly stood up, dusting off his armor.
Okay.
Okay, this is weird.
Either I'm so strong I literally feel nothing…
Or the strongest human in the world is ridiculously weak compared to me.
He looked at the heroine, who was already charging at him again, fury and determination written all over her face.
Definitely the first one.
Shit.
This is going to be a problem.
"THIS IS FOR EVERYONE WHO DIED BECAUSE OF YOU, MONSTER!" the girl shouted, swinging a horizontal slash that cut through the air with a sharp whistle.
Mike, more out of instinct than skill, took a step back.
The blade passed inches from his helmet.
Hey, hey, hey! You almost took my head off!
"THAT'S THE POINT!" she snapped, as if she'd read his mind.
Can she read minds?
No, wait, I probably just yelled that out loud without realizing it.
The heroine didn't give him time to think. She launched a series of quick, precise strikes, each accompanied by a furious shout.
"DIE!"
CLANG.
"DIE!"
CLANG.
"DIE!"
CLANG.
Mike stepped back with each hit, raising his arms instinctively to block, even though he knew they weren't hurting him.
This is ridiculous… absolutely ridiculous.
How the hell am I supposed to get out of this?
I can't just say, "Hey, I'm not the villain, I just got here."
Clearly she's not in the mood to chat.
The heroine jumped back, creating distance, and raised her sword toward the sky.
"LET DIVINE LIGHT JUDGE YOU!" she cried, and the blade began glowing with a blinding golden radiance.
Oh, shit.
That looks bad… and I definitely don't want to take that head-on.
…Although it probably won't even scratch me.
She brought the sword down in a swift motion, and a beam of golden light shot toward Mike.
SHIT!
Mike dove to the side, rolling across the floor just in time to avoid the attack.
The beam struck the throne behind him, and the resulting explosion shook the entire hall.
BOOM.
When the smoke cleared, the throne—that massive black stone throne—was completely destroyed.
Mike stared at the remains, eyes wide.
Okay.
Maybe she can hurt me if she really tries.
I need to get out of here.
NOW.
He sprang to his feet, dodging another slash from the heroine by inches.
Think, Mike, think.
How the fuck do I get out of this?
I can't fight—I don't even know how to use this body.
I can't run—she's clearly faster than me.
And I can't reason with her—she's obviously in "kill first, ask questions later" mode.
What do I do?
And then, in the middle of the chaos, while dodging another strike and rolling across the floor like an idiot, a memory surfaced in his mind.
An animated movie he'd seen years ago.
There was a hero who had grown tired of fighting the villain. Tired of repeating the same thing over and over again.
In short, tired of everything.
So one day, he came up with the "brilliant idea" of faking his death.
And it worked.
The villain left, thinking he'd won, and the hero got to retire in peace.
…
…Wait a minute.
Could that work?
Mike dodged another strike, this time throwing himself backward and slamming into a wall.
No, wait.
That's stupid.
And besides, how the hell would I even apply that here?
…Shit.
Mike looked at the heroine, who was already preparing another attack charged with divine light.
…but I don't have any better ideas.
And if I don't do something soon, I don't know how much longer I can keep taking these hits—even if they don't hurt.
…Okay.
No other choice so let's do this.
But I need something more dramatic than just "falling over and playing dead."
I need… a skill.
Something that looks like a desperate last attack.
Something that—
And then, as if his body had been waiting for that exact thought, he felt something.
An energy beginning to flow through him like an underground river.
What…?
He didn't have time to analyze it.
The heroine was already launching her attack.
"THIS IS THE END, DEMON LORD!"
The golden beam shot toward him, bigger and brighter than before.
And Mike, without thinking twice, thrust his hands forward and let that energy surge out.
"AHHHHHHH!" he shouted, not even knowing what he was doing.
And then, something happened.
An explosion of black and golden light filled the entire hall.
The ground trembled.
The walls cracked.
The torches were extinguished.
And in the middle of the chaos, Mike felt his body fading.
Like he was being pulled through space itself.
What…?
What's happening?
The last thing he saw before everything turned white was the heroine's stunned face, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open.
And then…
Nothing.
Just a blinding flash.
And with that, nothing remained but silence in the now-empty massive hall.