Chapter 40

The demon stood tall, clad in steel armor—an enormous figure.

His height was easily twice that of mine or Rex. He carried a massive sword no human could ever wield, and from behind the full-face helmet, an ominous gleam shone through. The age and wear of his armor gave off a clear aura of a seasoned warrior.

And the way he moved—was swift.

As Rex charged in headlong, desperate to seize the initiative, the demon perfectly timed his response, slicing with that giant sword.

“A swordsman, are you!?”

That strike wasn’t some wild, brute-force swing like Mello’s. It was unmistakably the technique of someone trained to a high level in swordsmanship.

A pure, unclouded, transparent slash. Pristine and sharp as steel.

—But in the end, Rex was still human. Though hailed as a Sword Saint, the highest rank a human could achieve in close combat, he couldn’t possibly win in a pure contest of strength against a demon whose size alone was several times his own.

The physiology of humans and demons was fundamentally different. Charging in boldly, Rex clashed with the demon’s counter head-on.

And held his ground.

“!!”
“…Not bad. This guy’s got some power.”

With a harsh grinding sound, their swords trembled as they pushed against each other. Neither one gave an inch. As expected of a demon commander—he was going toe-to-toe with Rex, the monster of a man, in raw strength.

This was the first time I’d ever seen Rex actually get into a test of strength like this. I never thought there’d be someone who could match him head-on.

Maybe this demon belonged in the same "monster" category as Rex.

“…No, come on, that’s ridiculous. Being evenly matched with Rex in size and strength makes no sense.”

Mino was muttering something way in the back, but I chose to ignore her.

“So, you’re Rex!?”
“WOOOOOH!!”

Looks like they were resetting the fight. The demon and Rex knocked each other’s swords away and leapt backward, once again facing off.

Rex lowered his stance, blade angled skyward for an upward slash from the chin. The demon, in contrast, held his massive two-meter-long sword in one hand like a rapier, aimed to skewer.

“DAH!!”

With a roar, Rex twisted his hips and spun full circle. Closing the distance along a circular path, the Sword Saint launched an upward slash from below. That strike was one of his specialties, capable of cleaving even steel.

If taken head-on, it could slice a blade—and the wielder—clean in two. A nasty move, though the flashy windup meant that an experienced opponent might see it coming.

“Hmph!”

…The demon was no fool. He must’ve realized the attack was one of those that should never be blocked directly. Twisting his massive frame, he narrowly avoided the blow. The edge must’ve grazed him—part of his armor was deeply gouged.

But missing such a heavy attack left Rex wide open. While he tried to recover from the committed swing and reset his stance, the demon twisted his own body and countered with a thrust—a move that a sword couldn’t parry.

—A straight stab.

A deadly, pinpoint strike aimed directly at Rex’s throat. And Rex, unable to move immediately after his own attack, couldn’t deflect it with his sword.

“Hgh!”

But the blade never reached Rex’s neck—it was caught between his teeth. Using the force of the incoming stab, he bit down and stopped it. Then, pushing off, he jumped back with a powerful leap.

“…Pffth.”
“……”

A-amazing.

It lasted only a second, but I could already tell how terrifying that demon commander was. Forcing Rex to use his teeth to block a blow—this guy wasn’t normal. I had underestimated him just because he was a demon commander. This guy’s on another level.

Rex told us not to interfere, but… I might need to step in if I spot an opening. Even he might not be safe this time.

“…No, come on. His teeth? Why didn’t they break? I think Rex is the weird one here.”

A woman’s voice came from far off, but I ignored that too.

“Not bad. For a demon, you’re pretty good. Didn’t think you’d be able to trade blows with me. You’ve exceeded expectations.”

“I’d heard the rumors. That you’re Rex the Sword Saint—a human who wields a blade beyond human limits.”

“Gahaha! So my name’s made it all the way to the demons, huh!?”

Rex looked thrilled as he stared down his opponent. …I guess it was rare for him to find someone he could really fight.

Hmph. Well, it’s not like I care or anything. I don’t care who Rex gets into a serious duel with. But if it looks like you’re about to lose, I’m jumping in. Screw one-on-one.

“I like you. Demon—you’ll get the honor of fighting me at full strength.”

“…You speak as though ‘holding back’ were an actual option in battle.”

Alright then. I’d better get ready to jump in. Maybe I should’ve practiced fighting side-by-side with Rex. As I thought that, I quietly gripped my sword—

“For me, it is. I’ve always held back. Because—”

Immediately after, I froze at the sight of Rex’s back.

The Sword Saint wore a war-hungry grin, radiating a sword aura so intense it made my hair stand on end. He raised his massive sword high into the sky, taking an overhead stance. Rex’s hair bristled with energy, his eyes blazed with fighting spirit, and every muscle in his body bulged with power.

At that moment, I couldn’t tell who the real demon was. The sheer presence emanating from Rex made the so-called Demon Sword King look like a joke in comparison.

“I’ve been so damn strong for so long… there’s only ever been one person who could actually fight me properly.”

Crackle. Even I, standing behind him, could hardly move under the crushing pressure he exuded.

What would it be like to face Rex head-on in this state? The weight of it must be unimaginable.

“Tell me, are you worthy of being my enemy?”

Sweat streamed down my face, soaking into my grip on the sword’s hilt. And then, I realized something I hadn’t wanted to acknowledge.

“…A sword demon?”

No way. That bastard. Are you kidding me?

…All this time, he’d been holding back?

Back when I was Flache, training with him. During all those intense sparring matches where I struggled desperately to beat him—he had been pulling his punches the entire time.

He held back so I wouldn’t get hurt. He chose to go easy on me, even when swinging that blade.

“…I’ll cut you down.”

Rex’s strike—I barely managed to follow it with my eyes.

The demon, stunned and overwhelmed by the Sword Saint’s aura, reacted half on instinct, raising his weapon to intercept the incoming blow.

Steel clashed against steel, sparks flying. But this time, there was no clashing of blades or locked struggle.

Because Rex’s attack didn’t just stop at the weapon—it sent the demon flying, sword and all.

“Oho! You managed to deflect that strike of mine?!”

“…!”

“Amazing, demon! You’re undoubtedly a first-rate swordsman!”

Rex’s praise came from the depths of his heart. It wasn’t mockery. It wasn’t provocation.

Even against a demon—creatures known for their physical prowess—he was sincerely impressed that someone could keep up with him.

Even I could only barely follow Rex’s sword with my eyes. A novice like Mei or Karin wouldn’t have even realized what had happened.

There was no comparison. In speed, power, sharpness—everything—Rex outclassed that demon.

“…Hey. Do we even need to be backing up Rex here? I mean, our leader just teleported.”

“No… Was that what he’s like when he’s going all out?”

“The real problem is that there’s someone out there who’s actually beaten him. Who is Rex-sama’s best friend, anyway? Isn’t it your master, Flache?”

“Don’t ask me…”

Please don’t, Mei-chan. Please don’t lump me in with monsters like him.

…No way. He’s that fast when he gets serious? No wonder he wiped out Mello in an instant. He’s flat-out faster than him.

In every respect. Against any kind of swordsman. Is there even a single thing Rex falls short in?

So far. The peak I’ve been striving toward is that far away—

“But no matter how strong you are! I can’t let myself lose to anyone but him!”

A mighty flash of steel. Rex’s lightning-fast strikes relentlessly drove the demon commander into a corner.

“Ngh!”

“You’re too soft! His sword moves are way harder to dodge than this!”

…Could I even withstand Rex’s sword now? That wasn’t the Rex from our training sessions. That was something else entirely—something beyond human.

To take on someone who could wipe me out with a single strike, despite being several times my size—and then to overwhelm them purely through skill. It was like something out of a fairy tale.

“I’m going to get even stronger! So I never lose to him!”

That power—there’s no stopping it.

Rex never stopped refining his swordsmanship. Even after we parted, he kept pushing forward, always imagining me as his rival. He trained relentlessly so that he could defeat the phantom of me he kept beside him.

“…I was surprised that demon could even trade blows with Rex-sama for a bit. But looks like everything’s fine now.”

“Yeah. Rex isn’t losing. That demon’s a monster in his own right, but Rex is just too much.”

“Our leader’s so reliable it’s actually terrifying…”

…

A sharp pain stabbed at my chest.

What was that feeling just now? Even though Rex is overpowering the enemy commander, even though humanity clearly has the upper hand…

Why does my chest ache?

“No one can beat Rex-sama. That’s become crystal clear again.”

“That guy’s a real hero, huh? A born winner—someone destined to triumph.”

Rex’s honed, otherworldly movements. The demon commander, steadily cornered, unable to keep up.

Rex, laughing as he swings his blade with everything he’s got—that was the face of the rival I once knew.

"…Huh? Flache, are you… crying?"

"…"

Rex looks so happy. Genuinely happy—because he finally has a real fight on his hands.

Once, I used to stand right in front of that Rex.

“…Has he gotten this far ahead of me?”

Right now, we’re in the middle of a war. On the front lines. Face to face with the enemy commander.

And yet, I—I'm standing here, not even watching my surroundings, just letting the tears fall.

—Can I really ever beat Rex?

—Has Rex been holding back this whole time, slowing his strikes just to match me?

—If a true genius never slacks off and keeps pushing themselves… isn’t it only natural that I’ll never catch up?

The tears swell up and won’t stop.

No. I can’t give up. If I do, then there really will be no one left to challenge Rex.

He’ll become truly invincible. Not just in power—but in the worst way possible: invincible because no one stands against him.

That would push Rex into real, absolute loneliness.

I know that. I understand it.

And yet—

“…There’s no way. Not like this.”

Somewhere deep inside, I realized it. Something important inside me just… snapped.

I’ll never beat Rex.

Rex is—a monster.