Posius's full-powered strike landed squarely on the demon. The Armor covering its body shattered beneath his blade, carving a massive gash across its abdomen.
But that was all.
The attack, intended to cleave the demon clean in two, lost most of its momentum after breaking through the layers of armor. In the end, it failed to bring the creature down.
Looking back, Posius watched helplessly as the demon's multilayered armor regenerated before his eyes.
Even he felt a flicker of despair.
"Captain! One more time!"
Tia shouted.
Posius quickly swept his gaze across the battlefield.
Most of his teammates were still standing. They were gasping for breath, but each still retained a little Force—the portion he had always ordered them to reserve for retreat.
According to his own doctrine, they should withdraw now instead of fighting to the bitter end.
Yet not a single one stepped back.
They all understood that if they retreated now and gave the demon time to recover, killing it the next time would become several times harder.
But if they attempted another Concept Release and failed...
...every last one of them would die here.
Without exception.
"Do it."
Cypher's voice came through the communicator.
"The demon's armor has regenerated, but it's already at its limit. The fact that it isn't using its tails to continue attacking proves it."
"The best choice now isn't retreat."
"It's finishing it."
Yet retreat was exactly what Posius was considering.
He couldn't bear the thought of gambling every member of his squad on one final attack.
If he performed another Concept Release...
...and didn't receive enough Force—
"We'll give you everything we've got."
"If we die, then we die together."
"We're ready."
"We believe in you, Captain."
"Go!"
"Show us what a true hero looks like!"
One after another, his teammates' voices echoed through the communicator.
Posius smiled.
He had made his decision.
"Here we go."
"Concept Release: Glorious Charge."
At that very instant, the demon's tails moved once more.
They shot toward the nearest target.
Every squad member was currently pouring what little Force they had left into Posius.
None of them could defend themselves.
The targeted soldier simply closed his eyes and waited for death.
"No chance!"
Tia threw herself between them.
She had no Force left either.
By all logic, there was no way she could stop the demon's piercing attack with her bare hands.
But as one of the First Squad's finest hand-to-hand fighters, she read the trajectory of both tails perfectly.
She reached out and caught them.
She was gambling.
She was betting that this final strike was nothing more than the demon's dying struggle.
Had it possessed its full strength, her palms would have been crushed instantly.
She won the gamble.
The razor-sharp tail spikes carved two deep wounds across her hands—
but she stopped the attack.
Posius finished gathering his strength.
His final strike was ready.
The demon sensed the approaching danger.
It tried to pull its tails back to defend itself—
but they wouldn't budge.
Tia clung desperately to them.
She drove both feet deep into the swamp beneath her, using every ounce of strength left in her body to hold the creature in place.
She was utterly exhausted.
Not a trace of Force remained within her.
She was moments away from losing consciousness.
Yet through sheer willpower and adrenaline...
...she refused to let go.
"Blade of the End."
The second Concept Release shattered the demon's regenerated armor once again.
Posius's blade plunged straight into the massive wound he had opened earlier—
and this time...
...it cut the demon clean in half.
The demon's body began to dissolve.
Every piece of Armor crumbled into dust.
Even the tails gripped in Tia's hands disintegrated into ash.
The members of the First Squad collapsed to the ground.
Most of them no longer had the strength to move.
Tia was no exception.
As the one who had risked everything to restrain the demon in its final moments, she had exhausted every last drop of her strength.
"Thanks, Tia."
Though barely able to stand himself, Posius still walked over to her.
"Because of you..."
"...no one died today."
Tia glanced at the demon's fading remains.
Its body continued dissolving into nothingness.
The upper half, still attached to the head, steadily crumbled apart along the massive split running through its center, silently declaring the demon's death.
As the adrenaline gradually left her body, pain came flooding back.
She felt as though every bone in her body were on the verge of breaking apart.
Yet the expression on her face was the complete opposite.
It was the joy of surviving after being driven to the brink of death.
Turning toward Posius as he approached, countless emotions welled up inside her.
She had always believed in her captain.
And it was that unwavering faith that had allowed everyone to survive.
"Thanks for reminding me."
"I always believed in you."
Posius gently rested a hand atop Tia's head—
just as he had on the night their paths first crossed.
Tia glanced at the demon's remains.
Its body was still dissolving into nothingness. The upper torso, still connected to its head, steadily crumbled apart along the great fissure running through its center, a silent declaration that the demon was finally dying.
The adrenaline slowly drained from Tia's body.
As it faded, searing pain flooded every nerve. She felt as though her body were on the verge of splitting apart.
Yet in stark contrast, a smile spread across her face.
It was the joy of surviving after being driven to the very brink of death.
Turning to the approaching Posius, countless emotions welled up inside her.
She had always believed in her captain.
And it was that unwavering faith that had kept everyone alive.
"Thanks to your reminder."
"I always believed in you."
Posius gently rested his hand atop Tia's head, just as he had on the night they first met.
The girl before him had grown so much since then.
She had become an outstanding warrior, one whose future held limitless possibilities.
Vice Captain Cypher, supported by the others, finally managed to stand. Though both of his arms were temporarily crippled, he endured the pain as he looked toward the two standing at the center of the battlefield.
Then—
A familiar vibration.
Cypher lowered his eyes.
The concept detector hanging from his waist—silent since before the battle—had suddenly begun beeping again.
His first thought was that another demon had appeared nearby.
If that were true...
...every one of them would die here today.
He immediately scanned the surroundings.
But he was looking in the wrong direction.
By the time he turned back—
it was already too late.
Posius looked at Tia.
Lost in memories, he wasn't really listening to what she was saying.
"When we get back, you have to reward me!"
"Alright, alright."
"Whatever you want, you've got it."
He answered absentmindedly.
Then his eyes caught something behind Tia.
Before his mind could process it—
his body moved first.
"Huh...? What—"
Without warning, Posius pulled Tia behind him.
She had no idea what had happened.
Looking up at him, she saw the relaxed smile disappear from his face, replaced by shock and surprise.
The next moment—
his body collapsed limply to the ground.
"Captain!"
Tia instinctively caught him.
A burning pain shot through her hands.
She cried out and released her grip.
Resting on her palms was a thick, green liquid that hissed as smoke rose from it.
The scene before her seared itself forever into her memory.
The moment everyone's attention had left the demon's dying body...
...it had unleashed its final act of malice.
Just before its head completely dissolved, it opened its mouth and spat the substance it had hidden inside—
aiming straight at the human girl who had foiled it at the very end.
None of the First Squad had even realized what had happened.
Only Cypher ignored the agony in his ruined arms and sprinted forward, desperately trying to stop what had already come to pass.
The display on the detector at his waist showed only two words.
Concept: Acid.
"Captain..."
Tia's voice trembled uncontrollably.
She clutched Posius's limp hand, refusing to believe what she saw.
Everything below his waist had been completely dissolved by the acid.
Between the bubbling green liquid, stark white bones were plainly visible.
"Captain... why...?"
At the very last moment...
Posius had pulled her behind him.
He had used his own body to shield her from the attack.
"Haha..."
"My body just moved on its own."
"It's not too late."
"If we hurry back now—"
"It's too late."
"I know."
"Don't say something so stupid!"
"Stop joking around!"
Watching the girl desperately trying to do something—anything—Posius couldn't help but remember the day she first joined the squad.
Being able to save her...
...had truly been worth it.
The memories of the Hero's life flashed before his eyes.
He remembered giving Tia special attention from the very beginning.
She had still been so young then.
Yet, for some reason, he had always felt she would one day become a Concept User.
He had always believed...
...that she would become an exceptional one.
But he himself had failed to set an example worthy of one.
If only he had remained at the rear, commanding the battle...
Instead of charging onto the front lines himself...
If he had simply delivered his Concept Release through a sniper rifle from afar...
...could he have defeated the demon more effectively?
He remembered the conversation he'd had with Tia not long ago.
She had called him an idiot.
Yeah.
She was right.
He really was.
Posius gave Tia one final smile.
"Tia..."
"I'm an idiot."
"I've spent my life making the wrong choices."
"If one day you have the chance..."
"...if you're ever given a choice..."
"Don't become like me..."
"No..."
"No..."
"Please... no..."
Tia repeated the words over and over.
Yet all she could do...
...was watch Posius's soul fade away before her eyes.
The sun within Tia's heart—
the hero of Hero City—
Posius—
laid down the burden he had carried for so long.
The Hero had fallen.
ns216.73.216.38da2
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