Chapter 170: Magic—For the Future
“…We can still win this, even now.”
His voice was low, but filled with a stubborn determination that refused to give up.
“Yeah. I’m counting on it.”
The reply came calmly, without hesitation.
From that moment on, the heroes were incredible.
The three of them moved in perfect harmony—so flawless that there wasn’t even the slightest hint of an opening. Their coordination was so precise it was almost frightening.
(The all-purpose saint has shifted to close combat… and she hits as hard as a berserker. And she’s still managing to buff the other two at the same time—impressive. That staff of hers must be quite the weapon too. And that archer is good… really good. He controls distance perfectly, always making me think, “Maybe I can close the gap from here,” just to throw off my focus. The arrows are strong, sure—but more than anything, that tracking is ridiculously annoying. Both of them are worth a thousand soldiers on their own… but still, the most dangerous one is Takeshi.)
Why was it that among such capable fighters, Takeshi—whose ability was simply foresight—served as their leader?
“Amane, temporarily push your attack buff to the limit and strike Ryu from behind! I’ll hold him from the front!”
“Got it!”
“Kaito, fire your arrows upward—adjust them so they rain down in ten seconds!”
“Leave it to me!”
Because he was an exceptional commander.
(We can do this… We can win. This is completely different from when I fought him alone. If the three of us surround him and fight at full strength, the futures I can see change drastically… It still feels far from defeating him, but at least the possibility of being killed instantly is gone. Now all we have to do is wait until Ryu runs out of stamina. This… this is the power of the kingdom’s heroes…!)
—However.
Even though they could now fight him on equal footing, they still hadn’t landed a single blow. And more importantly, Ryu hadn’t even used magic yet.
With a wide field of vision, physical ability acknowledged even by Ryoma, and an absurdly fast mind, he was simply evading and handling the three of them with ease.
“…Hmm.”
(I don’t know… something about this just isn’t clicking.)
Ryu had seen the imperial heroes. He had seen the Principality’s heroes.
Compared to them, while the kingdom’s heroes had superior character, it wasn’t as if they were stronger.
In fact, if the imperial and Principality heroes were still alive, there was even a possibility they would have surpassed Takeshi’s group by now.
On top of that, the kingdom’s hero party seemed to have hit a ceiling.
(Something is missing from this party. Takeshi realized that and tried to recruit Ryoma into their ranks… but the moment he chose that option, he was already wrong. At times like this, someone within the group has to awaken.
The all-purpose saint is doing remarkably well. If I could take only one of them back to the empire, I’d choose her without hesitation. That archer is also exceptional—despite specializing in long range, he has the guts to act as a decoy on the front lines. The kind of talent that could turn the tide of a large-scale battle alone…
Which leaves… Takeshi.)
Foresight × Command × Genius-level swordsmanship.
Under normal circumstances, that would be more than enough.
But as the leader of a party aiming to defeat the Demon King, it was still lacking.
There needed to be something more—something that could truly impress Ryu.
For example—
An awakening of his foresight.
The Grandmaster stared in disbelief.
“What is that guy…? How is he holding off three S-rank heroes by himself…?”
“If they’re S-rank… could he be at an SS-rank level?”
“Don’t tell me the twist is that he’s actually the Demon King or something…”
Amane’s staff techniques weren’t working at all.
“Stop darting around like that!”
(He’s facing away from me, and yet none of my attacks land. If anything, he’s even redirecting Kaito’s arrows to cancel them out. That’s not something you can do without eyes on your back! He said he was a mage… is this his magic?!)
Kaito grew frustrated.
“My arrows won’t hit at all, and he’s not even paying attention to me! It’s like I don’t exist! Damn it… I’m the least useful one here!”
(Still… I’ve got to trust Takeshi and Amane. Worst case, I’ll just tackle him and stop his movement. Yeah… that’s all I can do.)
Takeshi trusted in his companions—and in his foresight—as he unleashed everything he had learned in Niten Ichi-ryu.
“A sword of impenetrable defense… That kind of sword is where Niten Ichi-ryu truly shines!”
(The true essence of Niten Ichi-ryu—something that can’t be brought out against monsters… I’ll bring it forth now and break Ryu!!)
In the next instant, Ryu knocked both of Takeshi’s blades away with brute force.
Amane seized the opening.
(This is my only chance!!)
But Ryu grabbed her staff and flung it away along with her.
“Kyah!”
“Amane!”
“You’ve got time to worry about her?”
Before anyone realized it, Ryu had moved behind Kaito, striking him with the sheath of Kurikara and sending him flying.
“Guh!”
The three of them were forced back to their original positions.
None of them had suffered major wounds—but they were utterly exhausted.
Because in that brief exchange, they realized something.
They hadn’t even come close to drawing out Ryu’s true strength.
They were still being toyed with.
And if he got serious… they would be killed instantly.
They understood that much.
In that moment, Ryu spoke casually.
“Well, the all-purpose saint and the archer are doing fairly well. Passing marks.”
““?!””
“But you… you’re no good, Takeshi.”
“…What exactly am I lacking?”
(What more am I supposed to do…?!)
“Say the name of your magic.”
“…Foresight.”
“Yeah, figured. You named it that yourself, didn’t you?”
Takeshi nodded.
“Listen. Magic is simple—and at the same time, complex. In other words, it can be applied in many ways. I don’t know the name of the saint’s magic, but she can enhance her body, boost defense, increase attack power, and heal. The archer can manifest a bow, fire rapidly, and track targets. But you… all you do is see the future. And after that, you just rely on your allies, don’t you?”
“….”
Takeshi couldn’t argue.
“If you’re the leader of a party aiming to defeat the Demon King, then become strong enough to defeat him alone. The fact that your first thought when you hit a wall was to recruit Ryoma… it’s honestly disgusting.”
“But—”
“But what? ‘I can only use foresight, so it can’t be helped’? Even your prized dual-sword style is going to waste. What a shame.”
“Then what am I supposed to do to use something other than foresight?!”
“How should I know, idiot? That’s something you figure out yourself. Awaken on your own.”
“….”
“Fine. I’ll humor you a bit. Come at me alone.”
Takeshi gripped both swords tightly and charged.
“Haaaaaa!!”
But he was effortlessly knocked away, tumbling across the ground.
(No matter how many times I see it… the only future is me being crushed. There are no other possibilities…)
He repeated it again and again.
His body was already covered in mud.
Crawling along the ground, he clutched his swords.
The gazes of his companions, the referee, and Ryoma’s group pierced into him.
(See? Just like foresight showed. The future can’t be—)
“Changed?”
“?!”
“You’ve always picked the successful outcomes and avoided failure. That’s why you think the future can’t be changed. But normal people? They jump into futures where they fail every single time. And each time, they awaken. They forcefully twist the future.”
“Forcefully… twist the future…?”
“Yeah. Twist it—and grow every time. That’s why they’re strong. That’s why they don’t fall. Look at Ryoma. He used to fail constantly, and now he’s called the strongest swordsman in the world. Meanwhile, you—who’s only known success—hit a wall and started relying on others. You even tried to steal my comrade in a duel. It’s laughably pathetic.”
“….”
“In short, the future can be changed. Think of your magic as something meant for that.”
“!!!!”
At that moment, something surged through Takeshi.
A shock ran through his mind, and an unfamiliar power welled up from within.
He gripped his swords once more.
“I’m going again, Ryu!!!”
“Yeah. Come at me. I’ll take you on as many times as you want.”
Covered in mud.
Drenched in sweat.
Stained with blood.
He swung his sword with reckless abandon.
He had believed that a skilled swordsman never bled.
That fighting desperately was shameful.
That defeat was unacceptable—and that victory alone meant growth.
…Foresight was meant for that.
A magic to avoid failure and choose the easy path.
But when Ryu appeared, his future was filled with nothing but failure.
And he could do nothing.
Because he had never once leapt into failure before.
“Haaaaaa!!”
But now, things were different.
Whether it was success or failure didn’t matter anymore.
All that mattered was twisting the future—no matter how ugly the fight became.
At that moment—
For the first time, a scratch appeared on Ryu.
Something that didn’t exist in the predetermined future… became reality.
“!!!!!!!”
“Heh… now you get it, don’t you?”
“Foresight isn’t magic to see the future… it’s magic to change it?”
“Exactly. It’s magic to create the future you envision. Seeing the future just gives you the bare minimum of choices. The real power starts from there.”
“…Will you stay with me a little longer?”
“Of course. Awaken today. Carve your own path. Look—your companions are watching. You won’t find better allies than them.”
How much time passed after that, no one knew.
All they knew was that an inhuman battle was unfolding before their eyes.
“Takeshi… you…”
“So that’s… our leader…!!”
“Grandmaster.”
“…Yeah. This is incredible.”
“Hoho… he’s transformed.”
“As expected of my brother!”
“Ryu-sama is a mage, right?”
“Ryoma-sama… is that Takeshi the hero?”
“Indeed. And that is the true essence of Niten Ichi-ryu.”
In the end, he only managed to land a few wounds on Ryu.
“Haah… haah…”
“Takeshi. Did you see it?”
“Yeah. Thanks to you… just a little.”
“I see. That’s ‘this side of the world.’”
Ryu sheathed Kurikara.
At the same time, the Grandmaster raised his hand.
“Winner: Ryu. A splendid match from both sides.”
Applause echoed across the vast plain.
“Ryu, you must be tired. Truly impressive.”
“…Seems I guided another lost soul again.”
“What are you saying? That’s what you always do. Hahaha.”
Before leaving—
“Hey, old man. Have the dungeon information compiled and sent to our inn.”
“Understood. Leaving already?”
“After trash-talking them that much during the fight, it’d be awkward to talk to the heroes today.”
“Hahaha! Fair enough… though I have one request.”
The Grandmaster whispered into Ryu’s ear.
“…Fine. They’re like juniors at this point. Leave it to me.”
“Thank you… truly.”
After that, everyone exited the dungeon.
◇◇◇
That night—
The heroes were making their way back, dragging their battered bodies along.
Amane’s mana was nearly depleted, and she had used up all her potions during the duel.
There was no way to recover for now.
“We lost, but that was amazing!”
“Right?! Takeshi got insanely strong halfway through!”
“At this rate, the three of us can totally keep going!”
The two chatted excitedly.
Meanwhile—
“…Sorry, everyone. I showed you a pathetic side of me.”
“What are you talking about? You worked the hardest!”
“Hahaha! First time I’ve seen our leader this beaten up!”
They slapped his back repeatedly.
“Ow—seriously, I might die, stop…”
Despite everything, they walked on, laughing, basking in the afterglow.
—However.
All three suddenly fell silent.
“….”
From ahead and behind, a group in black appeared.
They were surrounded.
A man wearing a golden snake ring—Orochi—laughed.
“Ahahaha! Perfect timing! Let’s just crush them from both sides!”
The heroes drew their weapons.
“What do we do, Takeshi?”
“…We fight.”
But his hands trembled from exhaustion.
“….”
A desperate situation.
(Damn it… of all times. No—this was planned.)
They swallowed nervously.
Then—
In an instant, three figures appeared before them.
“Looks like you’re in trouble, heroes!”
“C-Captain Lily?!”
“Yep! Your savior has arrived. Though no time for reunions. Subordinate-chan, Louise—handle the rear, please?”
“…Yes, but…”
“Protecting three while fighting? That’s rough. Looks like both the Principality and Empire sent assassins.”
“Yeah… not great…”
Orochi raised his weapon.
“No matter how many allies you call, it’s pointless—we’ve got at least two hundred. Now then… time to die.”
The air grew heavy.
One move—and battle would begin.
At that moment—
Something enormous covered the sky.
The dark night grew even darker.
Everyone looked up.
“…Is that… an eastern dragon?”
“Why is that in this world?!”
“That magic power… it’s insane…”
“Wait… that black dragon… could it be?!”
“I’m not sure…”
“…Heh. So he came after all.”
The dragon vanished instantly.
In its place, a man descended.
Overwhelming magic flooded the battlefield.
“Targeting heroes right after a tough fight… I hate that kind of thing the most. Don’t think any of you are walking away alive.
Black Armor—Raijin Takemikazuchi.”