I Returned with the Cheat Holy Sword

-System Message

▶ Main Event ‘Twin Clowns’ has begun.
▶ Depending on the result, the Hero’s disposition will change!
▶ Depending on the result, relationships with certain individuals will change!
***
"Uh, my lady? What is—"

Vespa tried to say something, startled by Gray falling out of thin air, but then abruptly shut her mouth.
That was only natural—anyone could tell something was wrong just by looking out the window.
It was still early evening, with the sun only beginning to set, and yet darkness was rapidly devouring the sky as if nighttime had been forcibly dragged in.

It was as though someone had skipped forward in time and yanked night down into the world. The pitch-black dark was covering everything.
No—look closely.
That darkness was a swarm of familiars shaped like tiny birds.

There were just... far too many of them, enough to blanket the sky.
"…Well, that’s just great."
Shiona let out a breathy, disbelieving laugh as she looked out.

In the time it had taken to walk here from the black market—where that thing had presumably been summoned—it had already multiplied like this.
So that’s why Carlyle was in such a hurry.
Had they wasted even a little more time, this could have easily escalated into a disaster requiring full mobilization of the city's manpower.

Carlyle had called it a "stray ghost." A low-ranking demon, not even one of high status.
And even just something like that caused this much chaos.
"How did it multiply that fast? Familiars need corpses to form, don’t they?"

"Looks like it devoured everything inside the black market," Shiona said, shrugging.
"Well, not like it matters, does it? Trash is trash."
"…"
"…"

Vespa and the princess both stared at Shiona uncomfortably.
Of course, it was true the black market was full of that sort of scum—but treating human lives so lightly clearly didn’t sit well with these soft-hearted people.
Still, there wasn’t much time to argue the ethics of it.

Between the swarm of familiars covering the sky, a hand suddenly shot out.
As though breaking free from its shell by sheer force, something slid out and landed with a heavy thud in front of their building.
A giant. Purple-skinned. Wrapped in flayed human skin like clothing, with skulls dangling from its limbs like ornaments.

Its face—disfigured by grotesquely stretched veins and patches of flesh—resembled a clown in the worst possible way.
"…"
Vespa and the princess both reflexively covered their mouths with their hands, pale as sheets.

Even Shiona grimaced at the sight—it was the kind of appearance that felt like it shaved away at your sanity just to look at /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ it.
—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then the demon’s mouth opened—and an earsplitting scream erupted, as if to tear eardrums apart.

The sheer force of the cry cracked the windows of the building, knocked exterior panels loose, and split the pavement bricks apart.
All this before it even started fighting. A simple display of how absurd the demon’s power truly was.
There was just one person.

One person present who didn’t give the slightest damn about any of that.
Gray’s eyes swept the monster with a sharp, savage glare—and as if to answer its scream, she unleashed a magical roar of her own:
"SHUT UUUUUP—!"

And at the same time—
—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The shockwave that exploded outward was at least twice as powerful as the demon’s roar.

One entire wall of the building collapsed on the spot.
"…"
"…"

Everyone nearby stared at Gray in stunned disbelief.
No, seriously—who else but this girl could actually win a shouting match against a demon?
Even the demon, whose expression was unreadable, was now just... staring at her.

Maybe it was just imagination—but even it looked dumbfounded.
"Vespa."
"Y-Yes, my lady!"

"Magic. You can still use it, right?"
"Yes!"
Gray tapped lightly on the Holy Sword.

"Put something in this. Anything that’ll help in combat. Can you do that?"
"I-I’ll try!"
"I’ll count to three—sync it to the signal. You too, spirit knight."

She seemed... in quite a rush.
Shiona pointed that out with a breezy smile.
"Hmm—Hero. Planning to wrap this up quick, are we?"

"Is there a reason to wait?"
"Still, it's a demon we’re dealing with. Shouldn’t we approach more cautiously?"
Demons.

The enemies of mankind.
They torment, devour, and fuel themselves on the pain of humans. Undeniably evil.
Even the weakest of them are malicious creatures fixated on the most brutal methods of torment.

So even for a Hero, it was only natural to proceed with caution.
That’s what she was trying to say.
"I don’t want to."

Gray refused flatly.
"First of all, there’s no way I’d lose to something like that. Second—"
More than anything—

"That idiot is out there alone right now."
Forget the others.
Carlyle might be in danger.

"……Hmm."
Shiona’s eyes curved into soft half-moons.
"Oho. Smells like romance~ Should I start preparing some dating advice?"

"Say another word and I’ll cut you."
"Yes ma’am!"
After glaring at the now-quiet Shiona, Gray raised her sword.

"…Ten seconds."
She growled the words from deep within her throat.
"I’ll kill it within that."

Moments later—
As if to prove her declaration, Gray’s sword slashed through the sky with blinding force.
***

"Haaah…"
Carlyle clicked his tongue at the flash of light erupting beyond the annex.
Poor demon.

Of all opponents it could have drawn, it got stuck with a spirit knight, a Hero, and a high mage.
Vespa might not have reached her full strength yet, but even the other two were monsters who'd happily beat it to death.
He let out a sigh and glanced around.

Evacuation—
Seemed to have gone well.
He’d asked the Gray Cardinal to clear the guesthouse of VIPs and any civilians in the demon’s likely path.

And clearly, the Cardinal had followed through perfectly.
To have moved so many people in just a few hours... Who knows what kind of strings he pulled?
…Isn’t magic supposed to be my thing?

If Gray was a monster of combat, then this guy was a monster of schemes.
There was nothing he couldn’t do, apparently. Useful—when he’s on your side.
"Hey—"

"…"
…Which is exactly why.
Carlyle could’ve continued admiring the guy—if only Cardinal Felix hadn’t chosen that moment to wander casually up onto the rooftop where he was standing.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"
Carlyle snapped, his face turning pale. Felix raised both hands to his cheeks like a bashful maiden.
"Kyaa~ Protect me~"

"…"
It was the voice of a dainty, terrified woman.
"You wouldn’t just hand such a fragile girl over to a savage demon… would you?"

"…"
Carlyle looked at him, expression sour, as Felix twisted his body in mock coyness.
Was this guy always like this?

…No, seriously—why was he even here?
He’d literally admitted with his own mouth that he couldn’t even use divine power anymore.
"Hmph."

Felix smirked and pulled the hood of his robe over his head.
"Sure, I can’t use divinity. But I can guarantee I won’t get in your way."
"…What?"

"So go ahead and do what you were planning. You wouldn’t be here alone unless you had something up your sleeve, right?"
"…"
"I was just curious. Wanted to see it for myself."

…Seriously.
Gray and this guy really were alike in the most obnoxious ways.
Carlyle shook his head and reached for the Holy Sword.

And at that moment—
Darkness fell again around them.
—…
—………!!!!!

Familiars surged upward from every direction.
Among them, an enormous “eye” moved through the sky like a carrier of darkness.
The other half of Bellicore.

The source of the familiars.
…Holy hell.
Carlyle had faced these things countless times in his regressions, but the sheer scale of what demons pulled off never stopped being overwhelming.

Even a low-tier stray ghost could cover the entire skyline.
"So many… Think you can take care of all that?"
Can he?

Carlyle swallowed the question bitterly, forcing a smile.
That wasn’t the real problem.
The problem was something else entirely.

Especially if there were witnesses.
"Cardinal."
Carlyle sighed, then spoke.

"Let me ask you for one promise."
"Hmm?"
"I know whatever I do, you’ll find a way to exploit it. So I won’t ask you to keep it secret."

He activated Star’s Tear.
Divine power channeled through the Holy Sword.
"But if you try to twist it for something weird—I’ll get angry."

And rightfully so.
Because what he was about to draw—
Was power that surpassed even the current timeline’s version of Gray.

The strongest of mankind.
It would only last three seconds.
And even that—

‘Holy Sword.’
[Mhm.]
‘Actually, when we say three seconds, we really only get about one second of combat use, right?’

That was the truth of it.
But upon hearing that, the Holy Sword let out a snort of laughter.
[Even half of that is enough to end things.]

‘…’
As expected of the Hero.
Carlyle also snorted, raising the blade to his chest.

He felt the unnatural something seep into his body.
And then—
"Divine Mandate."

Carlyle spoke the words aloud.
And Cardinal Felix’s eyes went wide.
Because the voice that came out of Carlyle’s mouth—

Was unmistakably alien.
‘…No, that’s not it.’
It wasn’t just that.

As a Cardinal of the Orthodox Church, she had encountered countless superhumans.
And precisely because of that—she instantly recognized that the power now radiating from Carlyle’s body came from a completely different plane of existence.
How to put it…

The air itself changed.
It was as if—
The power inhabiting Carlyle’s body was…

Like staring directly into an exploding sun.
…That’s how overwhelming it was.
"The pinnacle of all creation proclaims—"

He raised the Holy Sword.
"—Let evil perish."
And then—

—…
—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The sky split in two.