2nd Rank Has Returned

306 – Fight for it-1

When I woke up, only darkness remained.

I didn’t even feel like I was stepping on the ground, and I didn’t even feel the gravity of falling.

‘…Is this the world inside the Holy Sword?’

With such a foreign sensation, Ariasviel was reminded of the world inside the Holy Sword.

If this was the space where the Demon King carried out his tricks, he would not have even left behind the spirit of the being called a ‘hero.’

At least at the point when Aria herself was able to recognize her own existence, it was not strange to think that way.

[You are weak.]

However, Leonardo directly denied the speculation.

With this, Leo repeated the word weak 13 times, as if echoing.

You can tell by the energy you feel.

‘…Rather than Leo himself, it seems like a remaining thought.’

Just before she was attacked by the Demon King, Aria wrapped Leo’s black stone in the form of her full armor.

If just a little bit of Leo’s thoughts had remained in the black stone, it would also have explained why he was now seeing Leo in front of him.

‘…Because he was almost dying.’

The only condition for entering the world of the Holy Sword was to always be on the border of the Four Worlds. If similar abilities exist in black stones, the current phenomenon is also explained.

Even if the Demon King had not killed her by erasing the world, Ariasviel was forced to fight by moving her dying body with armor.

If death was the condition, it would not be strange if we met like this at any time.

[You are weak.]

Leo only repeated that his thoughts were still weak. Aria was bombarded with insensitive, dry, harsh words one after another, to the point where it was hard to believe they were intended to communicate.

“…Hey Leo…”

[You are weak.]

There was no ego in that thought.

The direction of the gaze did not even have a basic focus, and only the vocalization was repeated without any change in expression or tone of voice.

Even though Aria repeatedly called Leo’s name, that thought did not show the slightest change.

‘…Weak…’

But at the same time, I understood how to express it that way.

Now that Black Aria’s memories have been assimilated, she understands the meaning of Leo’s words to the point where her heart aches.

“…Sure.”

When Leonardo and Ariaspil first truly met, she unintentionally said that to Leo.

Perhaps it was the harsh words that would inevitably remain in Leo’s memory.

“I… Am weak.”

It was a sell-off that Aria had no choice but to admit even after hearing it.

Ariasviel has now been pathetically defeated by the Demon King. If he had made a cool decision as Black Arya said and committed suicide first, the problem would not have ended like this.

Ariasviel was completely defeated both physically and mentally.

Even though I was told I was weak hundreds and thousands of times, I ended up committing a cheap sin.

[Are you… Weak?]

But when he admitted that he was weak, Leo’s brow furrowed.

Like that woman shouldn’t say those things to herself.

The fragments of Leo, who were filled with nothing but thoughts, gave out genuine anger.

“Wow…!”

When I realized, Aria was being strangled by Leo. There was no time for her to run away. It was an attack without a series of steps.

[You…Are weak?]

It was as if the world had been altered to show Leo being strangled by Aria in the first place.

[Do you want to die?]

Leo gave Aria strength so that he could break her neck at any time. Although he was already on the brink of death, the fear of complete death came over him.

“…I’m sorry…”

Aria Spiel could only apologize as she saw Leo strangling her like that. Even if he were Leo, he would have killed him and not been able to suppress his emotions.

“…I didn’t win.”

The opportunity created by many people, including Leo, was wasted.

The devil was not wrong in saying it was fake.

When the hero was defeated by the devil, it was a fake itself.

“…I’m really…Sorry… I’d rather…”

I almost wished I could just twist his neck like this.

I didn’t mind dying a thousand times to get rid of these emotions and sins.

[…]

Leo glared at Aria without saying anything.

Was it contempt? Was it disappointment?

It may have been two things.

[“Ariasviel Reinhardt.”]

Leonardo’s gaze met Aria.

It was not a reflex action of thought, but a call with clear intention.

“You’re weak and want to die?”

Leo, who had been vague like a fantasy, became clear.

From his appearance to his voice, Leo’s darkness, which had been like smoke, disappeared.

“…Leo…I…”

Leonardo, who was strangling him, slowly put Aria Spiel down. Aria didn’t know what to say to Leo.

My body and mind were already in tatters, and I had no strength left to strengthen my resolve.

“…I just can’t win.”

Only pitiful complaints came out.

Even if I didn’t win by dying, I fought with the determination to win even if I died.

Even if the bones of the whole body were broken in all directions, the muscles were torn in any shape, and the flesh was torn off in any size, he persevered and fought.

“…Everyone is dead…”

All my colleagues and family.

Even the world that was supposed to be protected has completely disappeared.

“Now there is nothing to protect…”

Everything ended because he was defeated.

“Certainly, it might be so.”

Leo did not deny it at all.

It was no exaggeration to say that Ariasviel was the only one left in this world. This world was erased, as if the play had ended.

It was a sight that would not have been strange to a human being if the meaning of his existence had been broken before his will.

“I did that too.”

“…”

Aria couldn’t bear to refute Leo’s words. She didn’t even come up with a single excuse.

Leo had been in a worse situation than this.

Because there were returnees who always had to fight in such situations, the world and Ariasviel could exist today.

“Get over it. If you give up like this, everything will end. “You, me, and the world.”

I was angry.

I can’t even make excuses anymore.

Tears burst out along with the feeling of dying.

“…I really tried my best…But now my body really can’t handle it.”

“I did my best, so I have no regrets?”

Aria herself is cheap even if she listens to this offer,

Leo was fully qualified to make such a sale.

But for some reason, there was something boiling in her heart.

“…There’s nothing more we can do.”

“So you have no regrets?”

Just like the first time, Leo asked the same question over and over again.

Do you have any feelings of regret about your current situation?

The answer was already decided.

Even if the opponent is Leonardo.

There was only one answer that could be given to that question.

“I couldn’t fight without regrets…! “I’m so angry that I’m going crazy…!”

When the words he sincerely wished came out, Leo finally smiled.

“…Then I can still fight.”

It was a smile full of hope.

Aria often saw that kind of smile.

Whenever we finished sparring, Leo always smiled like that.

“What I can say now is because of the added strength of that wise man. “If I were on the outside, I would have already been absorbed by the Demon King.”

She did not despair even in that situation.

“You can still win. So you can win.”

Aria fell in love with Leo as she watched him overcome any crisis.

“I’m sure you can do it.”

“…How can you… Trust me like that…?”

Even Aria herself could not trust herself, and now Leo trusted Aria without any hesitation.

Even when her own life was at stake, she confidently entrusted the fate of the world to a fake hero.

“Of course.”

Leo smiled brightly.

Hugging her, Leo left her one last fight of encouragement.

“Because you were the only one who could win without losing to me.”

The warm embrace did not take away the pain in her body.

Nevertheless, the warmth I felt gave me the courage to endure even the pain.

“I know you better than you. “You too.”

The time for encouragement is over.

“Cheer up. “Miss Aria.”

Aria realized what she had just hugged.

As if by magic, Leo had already disappeared.

{Are we finished?}

“…Were you watching?”

The one who filled her remaining spot was Black Aria Spiel.

{Of course. Because I am also Ariasviel.}

She also had the same soul as Aria. At the time White Aria was alive, Black Aria had no choice but to still remain.

Rather, it was closer to Black Aria maintaining White Aria.

{…Even if I kill myself now, I can’t save Leo. Now the Demon King has reached a point where he cannot maintain himself even with the power of the hero.}

Baek Ariasviel did not know either.

It was impossible to not know because the cause of the greatest despair was there.

“But we still have to fight. “Until the end.”

{…Until the end…}

Black Aria’s hostility towards White Aria has become less than it was back then.

There may be a reason why she doesn’t want to waste time while the world is falling apart, but now she even has a sense of community that is affectionate and hateful.

{Is there a way?}

“You are me. “I think I know what you’re thinking now.”

After those words, Black Aria’s expression suddenly hardened. Aria could see how absurd the idea she had just come up with was.

{Do you think this…Unheard-of method is possible?!}

“…Is there any other way?”

The correct answer comes when thoughts are shared.

“… If Leo believes that I am number one, he has no choice but to fight like that.”

***

There is nothing.

Only complete destruction remained in this world.

He completed the end as the Demon King.

The hero Ruben Reinhardt was also robbed of his reincarnated body, and the arrogant wise man’s plan failed throughout his life.

There has never been a more pleasant situation.

It was definitely like that.

“…Why are you alive?”

The Demon King twisted his smile unpleasantly and glared at the void. An error that clearly deserves to be extinguished has once again invaded his world.

“Because I can’t just let you do as you please.”

“It’s okay, but errors are often talked about. “That not-so-shy hero wants to protect the world…”

“Don’t be mistaken.”

Aria Spiel cut off the Demon King’s words and pulled out his holy sword. Even in a world where the sun had disappeared, in a space filled with darkness, the Holy Sword was showing its true light.

“I came here to stop Leo from using his body as he pleases.”

“…Ha…hahahahaha…!”

The Demon King burst into laughter, perhaps because he was taken aback by his arrogant attitude.

“It’s so ridiculous that I can’t listen to it.”

Now, in this world, the Demon King was God itself. For a warrior who borrowed the power of a god, it was just an effort equivalent to killing an insect by stepping on it.

“…A child who mistakenly thinks he is a hero in the first place.”

The Demon King spread his hands wide. The demon energy now spreading here was also a part of himself, and this world itself was already a demon lord.

“Disappear.”

Darkness comes in from all around. Although it could be deflected with a holy sword, there was a limit due to the physical area.

It was meaningless when it already appeared before our eyes.

Kaaang…!!

I thought so, but Ariasviel’s scarred skin repelled the darkness.

“…What…”

“{Why are you surprised? If you think about it, it was only possible because you worked so hard to destroy this world.}”

Ariaspil’s hair soon turned black.

That appearance was not reminiscent of Black Arya, but rather she herself.

You don’t even know if this was the future you were supposed to reach.

“{Originally, even if it was banned, it was a power that could only be partially conveyed. However, thanks to your kindness in destroying the world that subordinated me, I was able to exist in this world without restrictions like you.}”

I couldn’t have expected it.

In the first place, with the power of the Demon King, it would have been possible to destroy Ariasviel hundreds of times.

It was an exceptional situation in which a possibility that even Black Arya could not imagine emerged.

“{It’s absurd that they treat me like a child.}”

The blade of the holy sword shines brightly.

“{The opponent you are facing now is the strongest and worst fake hero!}”

Accordingly, the Demon King’s hands also turned black.

“Then, like a fake, I will personally destroy you with the body of a real hero.”

The Demon King clashed with the hero to destroy peace.

“He was my husband in the first place!! “You damn b*tch!”

The warrior Ariaspil started fighting for love.

The mental union was perfect due to jealousy.