When evaluating Jiro Tanaka, one would first say he is extraordinary.
He joined the company at the age of twenty-eight, which is considered young by the Demon Lord’s Army’s standards. However, in human terms, he was past his prime when he entered the company.
At this point, most people, except for a few, judged him as someone with little future prospects, even if he possessed high Magic Aptitude.
The HR department settled on a policy of utilizing him to a certain extent and then moving on.
However, his 담당, Suella Hendelberg, along with the Undead King, Nōraifu, and the Oni King, Raidou, completely changed that policy.
Who could have predicted that after enduring training that could be described as harsh, he would achieve numerous accomplishments despite his age, which was far too late to be successful?
He defied initial expectations, exceeded everyone’s hopes, and now he is.
“Amazing.”
Even with his clumsy words, he has grown enough to spar with the Demon Lord, the Demon Lord’s Army’s strongest combatant.
Suella, who first interacted with him, honestly expressed her disbelief at the current scene, but her heart was filled with joy because he had lived up to her belief that he would surely succeed.
“To think that such a dull soul would shine this brightly.”
Nōraifu, who usually describes opponents sarcastically, expressed the scene with a word of admiration. The brilliance of Jiro’s soul reflected in the depths of his empty eyes, a dazzling light that made one instinctively want to close their eyes. He honestly praised its beauty.
“…”
Raidou, meanwhile, clenched his upper arm, trying to suppress the surge of blood he felt from witnessing the scene, saying nothing.
The clash of swords against swords. The sword speed, long past sonic speeds, was gradually increasing, as if to say, “Next is light speed.” The Demon Lord responded in kind.
“Ah, why am I not there?” the Oni King groaned, suppressing his urge to writhe. If only it were permitted, he too would stand there. Even as he suppressed these feelings, his usual fierce smile was plastered on his face.
Under the watchful eyes of these three, Jiro wrapped the roots of the Ore Tree around his arm, and his speed increased further, still continuing to accelerate. Even the employees of the Demon Lord’s Army, such as the measurement officials and the barrier personnel tasked with protecting the battle, were mesmerized by the scene. The sound of clashing swords cutting through space. When the sword pressure created a tempest in space, it was then sliced apart by the same slash attack.
“…”
Before he knew it, the Demon Lord, who had been casually deflecting attacks with a smile, was now wielding a magic sword in one hand and engaging in battle. With every flash of light, he, a human, faltered under the attack, losing his balance, and the storm of swordplay would pause, only to be immediately re-established as he regained his stance and formed the storm once more. And the speed of formation—no, perhaps it was better to call it recovery speed—his ability to respond to the Demon Lord’s attacks was increasing the longer the battle continued.
Initially, he could barely dodge, falling out of balance in a clumsy manner. The next time the same attack came, his posture improved slightly. The third time the same attack came, he began to confront it, directing his blade.
“…You’ve surpassed me already, haven’t you.”
Her admiration deepened as she watched him, bravely but clumsily, steadily but surely, not leaping forward but taking each step with deliberation. Jiro Tanaka, who stood his ground against the Demon Lord’s Army’s strongest combatant, far surpassed Suella Hendelberg’s combat power.
It had only been a year. When he joined the company, he was unable to fight back and was easily defeated, but in this year, he had shown remarkable growth. Suella, feeling a mix of joy and sadness, chose the initial joy she felt and smiled at his intricately layered growth.
“The one I almost killed back then has come this far, huh.”
“Indeed, the extensive training we underwent over our long lives has been compressed into this short period of time. Truly worthy of astonishment.”
The two, who laughed about how terrible he was at first, were impressed that he finally possessed a blade that could reach their necks and sincerely congratulated him. However, it was also a fact that other sentiments were contained within their words, even if they were genuinely felt. Their entry into this realm was good news for them, and it was also time to consider whether they could reach for the ripening fruit. The blessings resonated, but their smiles were clouded by their dual intentions.
“This is going to be fun.”
“Kaka kaka, that’s quite true.”
As if drawn by their smiles, an explosion occurred.
“Jiro-san has started using magic as well.”
“Ah, it’s limiting to challenge the Demon Lord with just swordsmanship. It’s about time to broaden the range of my attacks.”
Beside the members who were impressed, Memoria and Himik were also intently watching the battle, trying to assess the situation. Wielding the charged Ore Tree and cloaked in flames on his limbs, Jiro began to use more than just swordsmanship. He rained down magic from all directions, and at close range, his fists echoed like cannonballs, and with kicks as sharp as scythes—too close to cut with the Ore Tree and too far to punch—he extended them towards the Demon Lord without even a afterimage.
“It feels like he’s throwing everything he’s got at them. Himik, do you think he can reach them?”
“…I have to say it’s difficult. My Master’s strength has increased dramatically. But still, the Demon Lord’s strength is…”
Fierce yet flexible, bold yet refreshing. Jiro, who ingenuity manifested in varying his fighting style with the passage of time.
“It’s a different dimension.”
With a single swing. The words that Himik spoke with a serious gaze became reality. As if all his efforts were in vain, Jiro was blown away once again by the Demon Lord’s magic sword, which dispelled his attacks. It was a blow that was clearly held back. If the Demon Lord had been serious, the fight would have ended not with this blow, but with the very first one. The only reason he could still fight was that the President had not yet given up on him. There was still potential. It was because the Demon Lord wanted to see more that Jiro could stand. Such was the difference in their abilities. It could be ended at any time. That fact alone was enough pressure to crush the challenger’s spirit.
“Difficult? Then he’ll be all right.”
Despite such a situation, Memoria, whose usually stiff facial muscles contorted into a more pronounced smile than usual, confidently replied to Himik’s assessment.
“It’s not impossible. That alone is enough potential.”
Himik said it was difficult. But that meant it wasn’t zero possibility. That’s why Memoria deliberately used the word “all right.”
“…That’s right, my Master will be all right.”
They might have questioned where that confidence came from. However, having seen Jiro overcome impossible odds multiple times in the past, they were convinced that he could manage something as simple as “difficult.” Therefore, they would watch. With such anticipation, they watched the mock battle without looking away.
Another side End
The expectant gazes of Suella and the others felt heavy. He had tried every trick in the book, throwing everything he had at them, but while he surpassed their expectations, he could not exceed their assumptions.
“You’re loved, aren’t you.”
“I wish I could live up to that expectation.”
He still had magic power. Stamina could be overcome with sheer willpower. But his means were running out. Even after connecting with the Ore Tree to dramatically enhance its sharpness, his physical abilities, and magic purity, he still couldn’t see the bottom of the President’s power. It was just a matter of time before he ran out of options, a reality he could not avoid. With the physical reinforcement he had, he was able to process various information with concentration. Because of this, he could pick up the words of Suella and the instructor. The President was the same; he happily commented on the evaluation he had of me. I answered without shame.
“Hmm, is it about time you’re at a dead end?”
He had no time to spare during the fight, but that word finally came out. As he created distance to devise his next plan, he uttered those words, and I could do nothing. The President tilted his head, appearing unsatisfied.
“If that’s the case, my prediction was a little off.”
And then.
“Well, perhaps I was disappointed.”
Suddenly, the President’s expression, which had been cheerful, changed. From joy to sorrow. His face conveyed that further effort would be a waste of time. He had surpassed expectations before, but he could not exceed assumptions. He felt that the time had come to decide the outcome. It wasn’t a feeling of a simple shiver. He had no time to think about what to do next. If he couldn’t do anything against the President, who had come to end it, it meant he was that kind of person. It meant the President could see his limits. It was just that his limits hadn’t been revealed while he was desperately resisting. It was time for his full extent to be revealed.
“…”
After being told that, he could only think one thing.
“President.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t look down on me.”
He felt like saying, “What the hell!” Taking a deep breath. And then, as the President, who was slowly about to swing his scythe like death, faltered, he resisted that decision with his magic aura.
“The real battle… starts from here.”
He had been holding back because he couldn’t fully control the dragon’s power, but that was until now. The “warm-up” was sufficient. He had grasped the proper way to apply strength and the right amount of magic power. He released the overflow of magic power.
“This is… I see, it seems my eyes were also too naive. You, you weren’t using your full power yet.”
Seeing that scene, the President’s expression changed again. I thought of him as a Demon Lord whose emotions changed so frequently, and I decided to answer his question.
“Yes, I was human until recently, but suddenly I was given something like dragon’s blood. And using it consciously was my first time. I truly struggled to control it.”
“Ahahaha! You mean you controlled it in that short amount of time!”
It was hard to adapt to the surging, wild blood and magic without suppressing it. However, it was also difficult to control the amount of force when wielding the Ore Tree, and even more so when using magic, requiring careful modulation of magical power. Both were difficult to adjust the strength of. Fighting while struggling with the sensation that it wasn’t his own body, he was angered by being judged as being only capable of that much.
“No, I’d say about seventy percent. I didn’t have enough time to control it all.”
So he decided. No matter what happened. He would forget about holding back entirely.
“Still, to be able to control that much power in such a short time is amazing.”
“I’m honored by your praise. But, your surprise has just begun.”
The honest words he spoke became a wave of magic power, prickling the surroundings. The President, his demeanor unchanged but looking pleased, continued to try to end it, such was the magnitude of the released magic power. I met that attack.
“That sounds promising. So, what are you going to show me!”
Fast. Not full power, but his serious attack was just outside the range of what I could perceive. The speed, including the enhancement from the dragon’s blood. I should not have had any means to defend against such an imperceptible attack.
“!” You defended this!”
The President should have known this, yet my Ore Tree blocked the President’s blade. The President was genuinely surprised for the first time by this. In the realm of defense, not offense, he had exceeded the President’s expectations. More than half of it was intuition, but with that domain, I could finally stand as an equal to the President. I wouldn’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance. I forcefully pushed aside the stunned President and prepared my next attack.
“Raising the Four Principles of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind, by the path of the circle, circulation, and the Eight Trigrams, I shall reach the domain of time and space.”
There was no time. Regardless of the President, I uttered a line from an “incantation.”
“I shall light Kagutsuchi’s fire with the single heavenly eye god and forge this blade.”
Lighting fire on the base of the earth to strike iron.
“I shall cool and purify that heat with the sea god’s water.”
The iron, folded by fire, was cooled with water.
“I shall sharpen that iron with Takemikazuchi’s lightning.”
The cooled iron, sharpened by lightning, became a blade.
“The name of that forged blade is.”
The Ore Tree, interwoven with the power of the four elements, was bent and hammered as if creating a sword, a realm that could never be achieved without incantation. And then, through the dragon’s blood, which made it possible, it became my genuine trump card. Only now, the Ore Tree reached the realm of myth.
“Sword draw, Amaterasu.”
The sun’s blade manifested by magic. A double-edged sword that scorched away all surrounding magic, affecting even me. Feeling my skin tingle and burn, I shattered the President’s blade with the blade that contained the light of the sun. Even the heatwave scattered from the mere act of cleaving. That heatwave had enough influence to make the surrounding barrier scream. Being my own magic, and with my body enhanced by the dragon’s blood, made it possible to use this sword. However, maintaining this greatly empowered state constantly was impossible. At most, one minute.
“…”
And all that great power could do was cleave. As I took my stance, the blown-away President silently formed another magic sword. It felt insulting, as if being told that was enough. So, take this, I took a step forward with all my might.
“Well, I’ve seen your potential.”
I swung with all my might. The violence of light, the embodiment of a scorching sun. The President, instead of dodging, received it head-on and, with a single strike, cut through the light and appeared before me.
“Impressive. I look forward to more from you.”
However, I had certainly inflicted damage. The President wore a slightly scorched dress shirt. And on my right arm, which had cut through Amaterasu, a clear wound remained. A burn mark, not a light one, but a severe one. However, the President’s magic sword was intact, and its blade was resting at my neck. Seeing that, I, who had exerted my all, lowered the Ore Tree and closed my eyes. By admitting I had lost, I signaled the end of this mock battle.
Today’s word: I’ve given it my all, and done all I could. Now, just watch the results.
If you find this interesting, please leave a review, rating, or bookmark.
*The first volume of the novel has been published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
An e-book version was also released on October 31 of the same year.
The second volume was released on December 19.
The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.
The content has been revised and expanded from the version posted on Shousetsuka ni Narou, with the addition of previously unpublished interlude chapters. Please also check out the new releases!
A comic adaptation is being serialized in Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”
We hope you enjoy that as well.
Thank you for your continued support of this work.
