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There once was a man called the Guardian.
His memories were scattered, but within those fragments... he was human.
For his homeland and his people, memories now long faded, he had stood his ground. He had pointed his sword at the encroaching monsters.
Even after falling into the clutches of the monsterâs creator, even after losing all his memories, his desire to protect remained.
Ironically, this proved the creatorâs cruelty, twisting his unwavering devotion into something monstrous.
The Guardian wanted to protect.
He had one single, clear memory.
To protect his lord.
His shattered pride and memories were as formless as the flesh and entrails surrounding him.
The fallen Guardian no longer possessed honor or dignity. But the desire to protect lingered.
[A pathetic vermin like you, content to wallow in your fortress, was never our match!]
His words pierced him.
The words of the hero who had defeated his lord and rebuilt the Royal Knights. Their weight struck the Guardian, stripped of his pride.
He had desperately tried to protect this place, grotesquely consuming the fortress, dividing his heart and hiding the pieces, all to survive, to defend this place. But my words had awakened him.
Not his memories, those were likely gone forever.
The one who created him, the one who named him a blood demon, had seen to that.
He had been designed with such malice that regaining his memories was impossible. But fragments remained.
And within those fragments, the embers of honor and pride flickered.
The viscous, repulsive flesh burned away, leaving only the Guardian.
Clad in rusted, scrap-metal armor, his body still filled with burning flesh, but now, with a single, unified heart.
He was the Guardian.
âCome! Human! Prove your pride!â
His cry echoed through the fortress, the cry of one who had never retreated against monster or demon.
His power had diminished, but his skill, honed over centuries against monsters, now targeted me.
They exchanged a deadly dance of blades, a touch of which meant death.
He thought it was over. But then, he realized. His right arm was gone. No, not his arm. His head.
I clicked my tongue.
âDamn, does he have some weird power?â
Even with his speed and skill, decapitating him while time was frozen had been easy. But I released Time Stop just in case, and...
I had clearly seen the severed head, yet the moment time resumed, only his right arm was missing. It seemed his power had activated.
He looked at his remaining arm.
He had been completely defeated. NoÌv(el)B\\jnn
My crude, unrefined slash, devoid of finesse, had bypassed his skill and speed.
âMy Guardianâs pride is gone, and my human honor has fallen.â
That crude attack resonated with him. He had reached this point with such raw talent. His sword must have been steeped in anguish and fear, just like mine.
But he had to overcome that fear and move forward. That was the burden of those who carried such a weight.
It was a strike that could have killed even the one who defeated him in the past. But his attack couldnât break through Time Stop.
I was stunned.
âThat was... something else.â
I had seen speeds I couldnât react to countless times. But Aresâs attack was fundamentally different.
Sensing the danger, I swiftly drew the holy sword and pierced his heart, severing his remaining left arm for good measure.
Time resumed.
He looked at his severed arm, flying through the air. He could no longer wield a sword. But he smiled.
âWhat is your name?â
âHans.â
âYou fought well, Hans.â
He no longer needed his worn, battered sword.
The descendant of the humans he had sworn to protect had arrived.
Their will would be inherited, honed. It had been a satisfying battle.
He had witnessed the sharp blade of his descendants. He couldnât ask for more.
Aresâs body began to crumble.
The last remnants of his flesh burned away.
The stench from the fortress dissipated.
I looked around.
The grotesque fortress, filled with flesh and entrails, was gone.
Only the ruined structure remained, like Ares himself.
I clicked my tongue and looked up.
âThereâs the Commander! Commander!!!â
âTeacher! Are you alright?!â
âHonestly...â
I chuckled, watching my unit members run towards me.
I had grown fond of them, despite their antics.
I wanted to scold them, but we had achieved a great victory together.
I felt a sense of camaraderie.
We had fought side-by-side, risking our lives.
It was natural. But just as I was relaxing, I heard a cracking sound.
I wondered what it was.
[...Our...]
[...Eternal...]
â...!â
A fleeting, unknown memory flashed through my mind.
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[Translator Notes]