The Unyielding Will obtained from Brookers.
It was undoubtedly a good item, but Ian sometimes wondered if it was worth the trouble to acquire it.
After all, it was an achievement item.
‘An item with bizarre performance as a Hidden Piece.’
Even the Neltalion Ian used was a Hidden Piece, wasn’t it?
Compared to its firepower, which could devour Demon Kings, the Unyielding Will didn’t seem particularly valuable.
‘So, I passed on the achievement item from Brookers’ territory without hesitation.’
However, as the game progressed, and specifically when he started confronting Demon Kings like Asmodeus.
Ian regretted that decision immensely.
‘I didn’t realize how crucial mental strength was.’
In most RPG games, there are only two stats you need to manage to clear them: health and mana.
But in Heroic Academy, they added another stat: mental strength.
‘I thought it was just a way to slow down content consumption.’
Entering a dungeon or progressing the story would gradually decrease the character’s mental strength. Once it hit the limit, the character would be unable to do anything without resting.
The importance of managing mental strength didn’t end there.
‘From Chapter 4, monsters start to drain your mental strength.’
If it falls below a certain level, characters start experiencing hallucinations, and the chance of attacks missing increases exponentially.
It was the developers’ way of increasing the difficulty.
‘And there are two specialists in this area.’
The first is Asmodeus, the Demon King of Lust, and the second is Leviathan.
Both might be somewhat weak in physical strength but excelled in battles by draining the character’s mental strength.
‘If other Demon Kings fought with brute force… these two relied on finesse.’
If the opponent is strong, you train and become stronger. That’s the conventional wisdom, isn’t it?
But these two were different. If the opponent was strong, they would weaken them and fight.
The implication was simple.
‘Using technique is over. I’ll show you what the difference in class is.’
Once the best card of mental attack is torn apart. Ian would stand overwhelmingly superior.
It was because of this.
Crash!
“Ugh!”
“Is that all you can do with a hero’s body? It’s hard to believe you’re a Demon King.”
“You, you! Are you done talking?”
“I am. But I haven’t finished throwing punches.”
“Gah!”
Ian could seize the momentum against Leviathan, who had consumed the hero’s body.
Seeing Leviathan glaring at him, Ian smiled and immediately delivered a long hook.
Bang!
“Aargh!”
A punch landed squarely on the face. Even as Leviathan took a heavy beating, she seemed unable to understand the current situation.
“Your head must be hurting. Wondering why mental domination isn’t working. And how a brother can beat up his sister so easily.”
No matter how strained their relationship, they were still family.
Attacking a blood relative, even for a cold-hearted person, would naturally cause hesitation.
Leviathan probably thought she had the upper hand because of this.
She must have assumed that Ian wouldn’t be able to show his true power if he faced Ariel, and planned to exploit that gap.
But.
‘Doesn’t it hurt to hit Ariel? No, it’s fun every time. It feels new every time.’
At least, Ian didn’t fall into that category.
Ariel? She was precious. Even when playing the original game, he had tried his hardest to keep her alive.
But isn’t surviving the priority?
No matter how much it hurt to hit a beloved character, he didn’t want to die.
Leviathan, panting heavily and occasionally touching her cheek, seemed to be in considerable pain.
It was clear she was cornered.
But Ian couldn’t relax just yet.
‘I have to capture Leviathan without killing Ariel.’
Beating up an annoying sibling was fine, but killing a hero was not an option.
Not only was she the Empire’s hope, but also the only key to killing the Demon God.
‘What should I do?’
Killing her was something he could do at any moment. But doing so would incur a great loss.
He needed a way to deal with just Leviathan.
At that moment, it happened.
“Ugh!”
Leviathan screamed and gripped Elysion tightly.
The Holy Sword that had emitted blinding holy power from Ariel’s hand was now radiating only dark energy.
‘Is she preparing an attack? Judging by the looks of it, she’s even draining her life force to do it…’
Moreover, the walls of dark energy enclosing the area were gradually shrinking.
She intended to make it impossible to escape by creating a confined space.
‘If Leviathan’s dark energy combines with Elysion’s holy power…’
What would happen? In a split second of simulation, Ian made his decision.
‘It’s dangerous. Very much so. I’m already weak against the holy sword because of its dark attribute, and if demonic energy is added to that…’
If he couldn’t block that attack, Ian might die here before even facing the Demon God.
‘She’s resolved. She doesn’t seem to have any intention of backing down.’
Seeing Leviathan preparing a powerful attack at the expense of her own life force, it was clear she was ready to fight to the death.
Even if Ian somehow managed to block the attack, she would likely launch another one.
‘What should I do? Even if I miraculously get past this attack, can I prepare for the next one? And I can’t kill Ariel.’
Ian was sweating nervously in the face of the imminent danger.
‘Wait a moment… the Holy Sword?’
His eyes widened in realization.
The holy sword Elysion, the greatest treasure of the Empire that eradicated evil and protected the good.
A weapon that had saved him countless times from enemies while playing Heroic Academy.
His past experiences remained vividly in his memory. That’s why he realized it.
‘There was that method.’
He found a way to overcome the situation.
***
‘In fact, Ariel is not that strong.’
Saying that the Empire’s treasure and the future hero who would defeat the Demon God was weak might sound hard to understand, but it was true.
‘To be precise, her inherent strength is top-tier. However, her skill level isn’t considered superior.’
Objectively, Ariel’s skills weren’t particularly outstanding.
Frankly, weren’t there people in the Empire with greater strength than Ariel?
Illian Sigrud, the Heretic of the Great Forest, had lived for hundreds of years mastering archery and dagger techniques, reaching a level no one could match at present.
Hexar Madukelan, Ruler of the Wilderness? He was an axe specialist who could decapitate a mob of demons in an instant if given an axe.
Moreover, there were many strong people outside the Hero Party.
‘There are many people stronger than those in the hero’s party, like Duke Bernogia, the King of Fists, and Duke Wignoron, the Dragon Slayer.’
Even Ariel’s father, Killain Volkanov, was among them.
Compared to their abilities, Ariel’s level was frankly subpar.
If she were truly exceptional, she wouldn’t have needed swordsmanship lessons from an expert like Haley.
However, there was a reason the Empire couldn’t ignore Ariel despite her mediocrity.
‘That’s because of the Holy Sword, Elysion.’
Of the five attributes in Heroic Academy, the Holy attribute allowed only the righteous to wield its power, and in the hands of a hero, it became a tremendously powerful weapon.
‘Ariel isn’t strong. But when you’re dealing with demons, the story is completely different.’
The reason Ariel, who objectively didn’t have outstanding skills, was able to become a warrior was.
‘Elysion exerts tremendous power when dealing with demons or those with the Dark attribute.’
For example, those blessed by the Holy Sword are not only free from restrictions when they set foot in Astelgia, the realm of the Demon God, but also receive a buff that doubles their skills.
Ian knew well how exceptional Elysion was.
‘The scene where Ariel, a top-level expert, wiped out the demons and cut down a Demon King… I still can’t forget it.’
Because it was such a powerful weapon, he conducted many experiments.
How could he use this weapon effectively?
Was there a way to draw out even more power from it?
The results were often disappointing. But he did learn something valuable.
‘I had a question while reading Elysion’s description. It said, ‘A sword that destroys the evil and protects the good.’
Most would overlook such phrases, but Ian did not.
He judged that there must be something hidden, and he had time to spare. He decided to test it.
‘It wasn’t a grand experiment. I just stabbed.’
He turned the sword, meant to pierce enemies, onto allies.
At first, the results were not good.
‘Was it Illian? I stabbed him and he died instantly. Because of that, I was expelled from the hero’s party and captured by the knights, leading to a bad ending.’
If he had stopped there, it would have been a fruitless endeavor. But Ian persisted.
He kept stabbing everyone he saw and faced numerous bad endings. So much so that the demons began to suspect that the hero was actually a spy sent by the Demon God.
Perhaps his persistence was rewarded because, after many attempts, he discovered something new.
‘Stabbing Saintess Glendia made me realize that the holy sword has no harmful effect on those with the holy attribute.’
When he pierced Saintess Glendia of Edenria, there was no wound.
‘What did she say? It’s a violent method, but it seems to restore my fatigue.’
The holy sword actually healed Glendia.
It was a new realization about Elysion’s hidden effect.
Ian never forgot this newfound knowledge.
‘If you learn something, you use it.’
The moment to apply that principle was now.
‘Neltalion.’
– Yes!
Ian, now enveloped in divine power, took a deep breath and launched himself forward.
He didn’t manifest Heavenly Hand as he had when facing Beelzebub.
There was no need to cause such destruction in the grand hall.
‘The use of divine power isn’t limited to Heavenly Hand.’
Manifesting Heavenly Hand was merely for bombing the area. Other methods were also possible.
Among them, Ian chose to focus. He concentrated the divine power in his right hand.
With a combination of Ether and Neltalion’s divine power, Ian’s right hand displayed extreme strength.
Crack!
“Grrk!”
Boom!
“…What is this! Aaaah!”
Not only did he withstand the demonic energy-enhanced strike of Elysion, but he also shattered it completely.
Leviathan was flung back in shock. While others might have mocked their enemy, Ian was different.
Swish!
“What speed!”
“Surprised? It’s too early for that.”
Ian only delved deeper into Leviathan’s disrupted form.
Bang! Boom!
His punches landed in rapid succession. The demonic energy surrounding Ariel started to crack with each hit, and Leviathan, unable to bear it, tried to raise her sword in defense.
Crunch!
“Got you?”
But Ian wouldn’t allow any such antics.
Using ether, he materialized a hand to firmly grasp the blade, continuing his assault.
Leviathan grimaced, and Ian, grabbing her neck while she was groggy, extended his arm and lifted her into the air.
Clang!
“Guh, grrk!”
Elysion fell from her hand, and unable to breathe due to Ian’s grip, Leviathan, despite the dire situation, smiled slyly.
“Gotten crazy after a few hits?”
“Think what you want. Ian Volkanov. I suffer no damage in this state.”
“Even with possession, if the host is attacked, isn’t the damage inevitable?”
Ian’s calm question wasn’t wrong. However, Leviathan’s laughter wasn’t without reason.
“You figured that out? But did you know? To kill me, you have to end this child’s life.”
“Ariel’s life?”
“Yes… You won’t do it. No matter how much you want to kill me, you won’t kill your sister.”
Ian faced a dilemma.
If he killed Ariel and Leviathan together, his life would end there.
Without defeating the demon gods, eternal death awaited him.
If he chose to save both, all his efforts would be in vain.
“Now! Choose, Ian Volkanov!”
Forced into making a choice, Ian did nothing.
To be precise, he saw no need to act.
“Talking nonsense.”
“What, what did you say?”
“There are no negotiations with demons. That’s my principle.”
He intended to save Ariel and kill Leviathan. That was why he orchestrated this situation.
He hadn’t endured all this to be swayed by Leviathan’s words.
“Kill me? How exactly do you plan to do that?”
In possession, the only way to kill her was to eliminate the host, resulting in mutual destruction.
If not, there was no way.
What was he thinking to act so confidently?
Leviathan wondered, but her curiosity didn’t last long.
“You, you don’t mean!”
In that moment, she saw it.
Sizzle!
“Huff…”
Ian picked up the holy sword from the ground!
Though his hand was burning from the sword’s hatred, Ian didn’t care and merely smirked.
“You wouldn’t know this. Leviathan.”
The Holy Sword, a weapon that only those born with the holy attribute could wield, chosen by it.
Those unworthy couldn’t hold it, and even if they forced it, immense pain would follow.
“How… How can you wield the Holy Sword!”
The sword was already in Ian’s hand.
Leviathan, panicking, tried to end the possession quickly, but Ian was faster.
Stab!
“Guh, aaaaargh!”
After grabbing Leviathan, Ian immediately thrusted the Holy Sword into Ariel’s body.
