It was just the beginning of the fated night.

A group of normal goblins were gathered up near in the mouth of the cursed forest. They were equipped with a crudely built armor and weapons that is seemed to be taken from unlucky adventurers.

“Grroaaarrbb” the leader of the group—hobgoblin said to his fellows in order to boost their spirit.

““GRRRAAABBBRRR”” the five normal goblins replied to him while raising their weapons high up.

To them his words meant—kill everyone in that city and steal anything you see— and they replied to his words as they were carefully cutting their way in the tall grass of the east meadows.

The goblins are known to adventurers as an enemy in middle to low tier, because of that adventurers usually had their guards low whenever they are against these little demons. And that is also the main reason on why the goblins has the weapons of those foolish adventurers.

Suddenly, the hobgoblin‘s eyes caught something. A goblin’s sense during night is second to none, but not their vision. “GRRRROOOOOAAABBBBBBB” the hob said furiously while pointing his rusty sword towards the approaching figure.

The figure that appeared on his eyes was about 170 cm tall he already knew what it was so that is why he gave a warning signal to his fellow goblins—an adventurer!—. An adventurer in gray light armor and a round buckler fixed to his right arm, and a sword on his hip.

It continue to approach the goblins in a very slow pace. As the distance from the figure and the demons decreases, the hobgoblin decided to charge at it.

He do that in order to show his comrades on how a hob should kill an adventurer. He used the nearby elevated ground to make a leap, and slash the head of the adventurer using his sword.

Just about when the blade supposedly meet the head of the adventurer, the lightness of the air is the only thing that the hob goblin felt. He turned his gaze to the adventurer while mid-air. And then their gazes met, the adventurer’s cyan colored eye shone in the middle of the night. The reason why the figure evaded the slash was because of his side step, almost as if he predicted the landing place of the goblin sword.

“Strike one.” The adventurer said in a noticeably low-pitched voice before casting a smile on his lips.

Upon completely missing his target, it made the hobgoblin’s ferocity burn stronger. “GGGRRRRROOOOBBB” when the monster was back to his footing he immediately rotate in attempt to slash the adventurer once again.

“Strike two” but the cunning adventurer only returned his foot to its place earlier to avoid the second slash.

If someone was watching their fight, the movements of the adventurer can be compared to dancing steps. While the hobgoblin was only slashing on the air randomly.

This time when the adventurer evaded again, he pulled the sword that was resting on his scabbard, using his left hand he swing the sword and then in just a blink on an eye the headless corpse of the hobgoblin tumbled on the ground. It was just a double-edged sword with an average length and nothing special. Yet it cut the neck on the hob just like a piece of paper. “Alright, now the leader is gone all that’s left are the followers.”

“Two” he said upon stabbing the nearest goblin on its eye.

All the goblins that seen the rampage started to flee. The red hair and cyan eyes of the reaper is the sign of their death, that’s the only thing the goblins thought while fleeting for their life.

“Three” then it was one of the running demon that met his death.

“Four” next a clean cut to his waist ended the life of the unfortunate goblin.

“Five. Now only one left.” Bloods and different fluids is now scattered to the tall grass of the east meadows.

It was at this moment when the last goblin realized that no matter how hard he try to escape, it is impossible to loose the red haired boy. So the last goblin decided to hide on the nearby tree, though it is not part of the cursed forest.

The goblin took a relaxing breath while eyes closed. But he suddenly felt a sudden bolt of electricity on his stomach. And when he opened his eyes a rapier with some bits of electricity was now embedded deep on his guts. “Six! Oh hehe sorry did I just stole your kill?”

The one who killed the last demon was a girl with also red-hair but compared to the boy, her was a bit darker. A golden tag is hanging on her neck.

“No problem” the boy replied when he finished wiping the goblin blood on his sword and gently sliding it back to its sheath. He looked at the newly arrived girl and continued. “By the way since I’m the one who gets here first, that means I’m the winner right?”

“Yes!—Renia smiled in response—But something been bothering me.”

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“What is it?”

“Where did you learn your swordsmanship?”

“Well… I learned it from you…”

“What? From me? How? ...I’m pretty sure I only met you today”

Ryuji scanned the corpse of goblin single mindedly. “Yeah. All these times I’ve been watching you. And I’m only trying to mimic your movements, but I made a little adjustment since I cannot use magic like yours.” He pointed to the round buckler attached to his right arm while saying his words.

“Where did you get that?”

“From the goblins earlier”

“Wow. I am right! You’re no ordinary zircon adventurer. That’s why I challenged you.”

[Oh so that is only a test] Ryuji thought in his mind. And the he replied in his usual low-pitched voice. “I see”

Both hands resting on her hips and gaze directed on the boy, Renia produced a smile. “When this fuss is over, want to train sword mastery in the capital with me? You’re quite a quick learner so I don’t think it’ll take too long to catch up to me.”

“I see. I will, but only after I finish polishing my skills at spear, can you wait for me?”[I need to train in Rigel first…]

“Oh I didn’t expect that… You got some guts to make me wait huh? But that’s not bad, I mean learning different weapons can really be an excellent habit.”

“Thanks.”

“RRROOOAARRGGG” The deafening scream of a kobold leader interrupted the chattering of the two.

“Here they come”

“Hold my hand.” Ryuji extend his hand to the crimson heroine. [If I am right, her type of sword fighting is similar to dancing]

“What? Why?”

“We will dance!”

“I see. You know you’re really making me excited”

“I’ll try not to think other meaning to your words...”

Upon hearing Ryuji’s words Renia’s face became bright red. “Pervert… I’ll start the count! One”

“Two… Make a leap, I’ll swing you to the left”

“Okay!”

“That’s three and four!”

“Five”

“Six, Seven, Eight”

“Nine!”

It was as if their move are really synchronized that the monster no longer know if they are preparing for an attack or actually launching one. So all the demons that witness the two adventurers can’t do anything but to watch out for their lives.

~~~

Meanwhile, as the two adventurer continue their unstoppable rampage, some of the lower rank adventurers that decided to assist in the front lines gather up.

“Hey. Sorry we’re late, how’s the front line?” a man in full-plated armor said.

“Everything’s under control, it is thanks to those two” the one who replied was a female sorcerer.

“What?” Someone from the group of reinforcements said.

“Look there” female sorcerer replied while pointing her metal staff on the horizon.

The man in full-plate narrowed his eye, he immediately recognized the one who is fighting on the midst of the evil forces. “Isn’t that the Crimson Heroine?”

“Yeah.”

“Who’s that boy with her?”

“Who knows? Maybe her lover?”

“Or possibly her brother?”

Different thoughts began to fly in every minds of the adventurers who’s watching the two adventurers.

“They’re… they’re scaring off the monsters near them!”

“Yes. Not only that, they’re also fighting an army of monster all by themselves!”

“Unbelievable. No even the imperial army could do something that crazy!”

~~~

Several minutes passed, also several corpse was stacked. It was already the middle of the night when all the monsters surrounding the two adventurer became lifeless corpse.

“Renia. That’s the last, fifty sixth.” Ryuji pulled out the rapier of the crimson-haired girl from the fresh flesh of the orc.

While breathing heavily and seated on a boulder, Renia replied. “I… I see.”

“Are you okay?”

“J-just a minute, I… I need to breath.”

Ryuji gave the rapier back to its owner. He looked back at the fortress but only see a nearby group of adventurers. “The adventurers are all looking at us”

“T-they do?”

“Yes.”

“Good, then… then that means there are no monsters left.—Renia look back at Ryuji and that the boy shows no sign of fatigue.—“W-wait you’re not tired?”

“A little bit. Can you walk?”

“I don’t think so…” the girl tried to get on her feet but almost fall to the ground.

Ryuji catch her arm and assisted her back to sit again.

“I see.”

The red-haired boy offered his back to the girl.

“What? ...You’ll carry me?”

“Yes” he replied without looking at Renia.

“Well…—Renia tried her best to climb up on the back of the boy.—“Thanks, am I heavy?”

“No. you’re surprisingly light.”

“I… I see. Thanks” she buried her face out of embarrassment on the back of the boy.

Ryuji began to his stride back to the fortress. But not too long after he started carrying Renia the adventurers that is watching them start running one by one back to the city wall. It was as if they are fleeting from something, Ryuji directed his gaze to where the source of the fear of the adventurers.

“Renia”

“Hm?”

“The adventurers are running away.”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure yet. Look there 4 o’clock.”

She looked at where the boy said and seen, a very large demon. “That’s!”

“A demon, right?”

“No, not a regular demon!” the demon was about same height as the wall with two violet glowing horns and red eyes. it was like a bull with humanoid body standing on its two feet, it has two prominent fangs with fluids flowing on it.

“Can I borrow your rapier?” Ryuji’s expression became serious when he notice where the huge demon was heading.

“What?! Why?!”

“I’ll put you down in there, hide in the stone. And can I trust you?” he walked towards the huge rock and gently lay down the crimson heroine on its back. He pulled the rapier on Renia’s scabbard.

“I said why?!” Renia said with an uncomfortable expression.

“My comrade is in danger, I’ll take down that monster, don’t worry I’ll return this later…”

“That’s not it idiot! That is no ordinary—” her words was interrupted when she noticed the sudden change in boy’s aura.

The red haired boy lifted the rapier on his left hand and supported it with his right hand holding his forearm. The zircon armlet began shinning ferociously upon receiving a large amount of magic from Ryuji’s arm. Then the boy closed his eyes and began chanting the unfamiliar words. [I only read the book of Chiyo on how to actually chant a magic, but I hope this’ll work]

“O’ God of Life, and justice, and light, by hand touch thy blade, obliterate those who defy your will, grant my wish, for I am your successor. Maximize enhancement! Holy Property”

When he opened his eyes, the leaves on the ground around him flew violently. From his hair then his body, then his leg and feet the divine light emit from him. Until his whole body was now pure white leaving only his eyes on its original color.

“You are the summoned—”

[Of course she’ll know, because I also read that in this world, only heroes can use maximize magic and the only one who can address themselves as the successor of gods.]

When the divine light faded and focused on the rapier, the boy forced a smile. “Yes I am. Please don’t tell anyone about that, Okay?”

The next thing that Renia saw in the position of Ryuji was thin air. And the light of the sword was already flying at full speed toward the high tier demon.