When I said, "You can be a hero," to a child with no talent, he really started to become a hero, so I acted like I knew what I was doing, like I was a wise master. - Chap 14.3: Arrival, Combat, Explosion, The Four Heavenly Kings

“It looks like it’s going to rain, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, Mom.”

“Shall we hurry a little?”

Dada dadada (Onomatopoeia for rapid movement) Dan, who is dashing and pulling a rickshaw, sped up as it seemed like it was going to rain. He wanted his parents to enjoy the scenery, but it seemed like the weather was a concern.

But he had to stop right away. A certain man was standing in front of them. His height exceeded two meters, his arms were as thick as large trees, and his legs were abnormally developed.

His skin was blue, and his gaze was malicious.

“Is that a friend of yours, Dan?”

“No, and more than that, he’s a demon.”

“Eh!? But if Dan is here, we’re safe.”

“That’s right, Mom.”

Dan let go of the rickshaw for a moment and boldly walked up to the demon.

“Um, you’re a demon, right?”

“That’s correct, human.”

“Will you let us pass? Though I’m asking, demons usually don’t let us.”

“That’s correct, human.”

“That’s a pretty repetitive answer, isn’t it?”

The opponent clenched his fist, opened it, and spoke ferociously as if unable to contain something. However, Dan, who was facing him, had a blank expression, stroking his spiky hair.

“Once, we were on the brink of conquering this world. But the hero Dan stopped us.”

“This guy… I’ve seen him somewhere before…”

“For over ten years, we lived quietly, but we can finally raise the signal for invasion. First, we will sacrifice one person, nail them to a cross, and display them in the city. It will be the very symbol of terror.”

“Where have I seen him before…”

“You shall be the first testament to this cross. I am merciful; I will kill you in an instant.”

He swung his “power.” His fist, strong enough to punch holes through large trees and blow them away, struck Dan. An explosion occurred, and dust swirled around. Normally, it would be a blow that would scatter the internal organs, leaving nothing recognizable.

“I’ve seen him somewhere before…”

But he was unscathed.

“Hmm, it seems I was too merciful. My mercy was so great that I inadvertently held back my power. Huh, living far from humans has made my sense of power unstable… but!!! Hahaha!! Weighted Muscle Curse: Cursed Doping.”

Weighted Muscle Curse: Cursed Doping. A spell that explosively increases one’s physical abilities. It is known as a foreign spell among demons, embodying the topmost effect, corresponding to the tenth tier of such spells.

His entire body changed from blue to magma-like red. Veins bulged, hair stood on end, and the ground trembled and wind howled due to the immense magical power.

“It’s impressive that you survived my punch, even though I held back. As a reward, I’ll erase you with my greatest power. Rejoice, I’ll turn you into charcoal.”

“What happened to nailing as a symbol of fear? If you turn me into charcoal, you won’t be able to nail me.”

“I realized I’m that symbol of fear. It’s not a problem now!”

“Ah, I see.”

The red magical power was concentrating in his fist. The air around it seemed to waver, and a dense presence lingered. Something like turbulence born from it moved the clouds in the sky.

“Ah, I remember now.”

“What is it? Pleading for your life?”

“No, not that… You were the guy next to the Cursed King, right?”

“…”

(He was on the battlefield fourteen years ago…? I thought only Hero Dan was there then…)

“That’s right. So, it seems you were there at that time, in that place. But the fact that I don’t recognize you means you must have been hiding in fear somewhere, right?”

“No, you also ran away at full speed.”

“Sharp tongue. Well, it doesn’t matter. There’s nothing to gain from talking further. Let me introduce myself at last. I am Gorda-sama, the Strong-Arm King Hand, one of the Four Heavenly Kings serving Cursed King Daidalos!!”

Saying this, he released a fist toward Dan, a punch that was comparable to a meteorite, with overwhelming power concentrated within. A force so great that even without being hit, the pressure of the surrounding magical energy seemed as if it would dissolve cells…

…Dan lightly clenched his left hand.

(Foolish, can such a weak fist stop my Meteor Magic Fist, Meteor Smash?)

The fist and the meteorite confronted each other. The Fist of Four Heavenly King Gorda emanated a continuously explosive aura, but Dan struck with a diametrically quiet fist.

(――!!!)

Immediately afterward, a large alarm echoed in Gorda’s mind. A warning based on the survival instinct that an organism has from the moment before death. It’s not about status or honor; it’s about clinging to life.

That was threatened, and sweat gushed from Gorda’s entire body. However, the mere fist was already approaching.

And when he looked directly at that fist again, memories returned like a revolving lantern.

At that moment, Gorda remembered the fist of the hero who literally knocked out Cursed King Daidalos with a single blow…

“So, so that’s it! Y-y-you are…!”

“Ah, I forgot to say. I’m Hero Dan, after all.”

The meteorite and the mere fist did not even struggle against each other. No wind raged towards Dan or his parents standing behind him. However, a tremendous gust of wind blew violently behind Gorda.

+-+

“Indeed, you are something remarkable. That magic is… truly worthy of the descendant of a hero. However, I must also admit my disappointment that this is all you can do…”

“It just sounds like sour grapes to me.”

“Never would I stoop so low as to say such a thing at this point. But it is the truth. Nearby, there are the most powerful demons who have served since the era of the Cursed King, including the current Four Heavenly Kings, the Strong Arm King, King Barda.”

“…What?”

“Compared to that Lord’s power, this is nothing more than a gentle breeze. Hehehe, hahaha!”

Lize was laughing. He understood that even the descendant of the hero standing before him was far from the Four Heavenly Kings. The demon named Lize was originally a wild character who was overconfident that he was the strongest. However, he was forcibly made a subordinate by Four Heavenly Kings Gouda.

It wasn’t fun, but he didn’t dislike tormenting the weak and invading. That’s why he laughed in the end.

He was convinced that the presence in front of him would crush him like he used to be and make him bow down in overwhelming despair once more.

That’s how it was supposed to be… but suddenly an explosion blew.

“What, what’s going on!?”

“Ah, Alfred-kun!? Are you okay!?”

“Grr, I’m fine!!”

Then, silence comes. They each felt something. An absurd existence that could only be described as “something”…

― What…?

Who exactly uttered those words? A corpse had fallen. Perhaps the demon’s body was over two meters tall. Though the upper body was gone, they could still sense the life energy of its existence from the lower half.

“What, what is that?”

“I, I don’t know…”

Neither Will nor Alfred could comprehend the situation. However, the one who was most distraught was the demon, Lize.

“It’s a lie… Impossible. Four Heavenly Kings Gouda… How, how can this be… Who is it? Who defeated Gouda!?”

“Gouda?”

“I see, the remains of that demon must be what’s left of the Four Heavenly Kings mentioned earlier.”

“To defeat the Four Heavenly Kings…”

(What Hero Dan has built as peace… Could it be threatened by a force that can defeat the Four Heavenly Kings…?)

(I can’t comprehend this level of power at all… Is this the world that the heroes have been fighting in…!?)

Both Alfred and Will couldn’t help but feel the changing tides of their era.

Later, Alfred defeated Lize, and the demonic invasion was successfully halted. Although there were no casualties, the two felt the changing universality of their world and clenched their fists.