Huh....huh...!


    I''m now - in the middle of a horde of demons, killing each other.


    Blood spattered on the ground, necks flying in the air, bodies of demons with limbs missing or separated from the top and bottom, or cut in half from the body.


    There are dead bodies everywhere.


    The ground is filled with pools of blood, and corpses have no place to step.


    I''m the one who''s unfolding the devastation, but I''m also quite injured.


    There was no way I could stay unscathed with hundreds of bodies.


    ''''d*mn!　"Blade Wind (Shade Sword)!


    I stored up my magic power while fighting, and released my magic to the demons.


    The demon that hits it will be cut in half, and about five more demons behind it will also have their body parts flying in the air.


    It''s the same magic I did for Red Bear in the forest when I was eight years old, but I''ve spent about twice as much time practicing my magic since then.


    The power of the magic is much stronger than back then.


    However, even after killing this many demons, demons are still coming out of the depths of the forest.


    I''ve been preparing for a week now to fight the demons against a wall that surrounds the village.


    This wall is made to rise up from the ground at once when I give the signal with magic.


    The reason I built the wall around the village is to prevent any demons from entering the village.


    And to make sure that none of the villagers or anyone else could escape.


    Even if this swarm of demons fled in the opposite direction from where they came from, there might still be demons in the forest.


    So if they could escape outside the village, it''s unlikely that they would all be saved.


    And thanks to this wall, it''s very easy to fight that attacks only come from right in front of you.


    In my previous life, I fought by avoiding arrows and magic flying from all directions.


    But - although I''m fighting in a favorable manner, I''m in trouble with a very troublesome demon.


    ''''d*mn, here we go again!


    I leap to attack that demon - and slay about three night birds of prey (night birds).


    The nasty demons are these nightbirds.


    The wall is about three meters high, but this demon flies, so it can climb over the wall with ease.


    You don''t want to miss even one of them, so you have to jump for them every time you want to attack them.


    These guys themselves aren''t that much of a problem.


    You can easily cut them down, but after that is the problem.


    Since you can''t be free in the air, the moment you''re in the air or descend, the demons will attack you.


    It''s only at that moment that they eat the attack from earlier.


    ''''--I?


    While I was descending in the air, I felt a sharp pain in my left arm--a sharp pain in my left arm.


    When I look at it, I see that a wolf demon is biting my left arm.


    It seems that it jumped and bit me where I couldn''t see it.


    I thrust my sword into the brain of the wolf that is biting my left arm.


    As it is, I cleave to the side and slash the wolf''s demon away.


    It seems to have been bitten quite deeply, and the blood doesn''t stop flowing from the bite on my left arm.


    ''''Haa.........!


    As soon as I landed, I faced the demon against the wall - but for a moment, for the first time, I leaned against the wall.


    --What the hell am I doing?


    You swore you''d help us all!


    You can''t do it if you''re this nervous!


    I can''t afford to lose!


    With that in mind, I moved away from the wall and charged at the crowd of demons - and that''s when I was going to do it.


    ''''Eryeeeeeeeeeeek!　Where are you?!


    I heard a familiar voice from the other side of the wall, that is, from inside the village - my father''s voice.


    Perhaps he has come to look for me, who has disappeared.


    But I didn''t reply.


    If I answered here, my dad would try to come over here somehow.


    My dad is strong, but over the past few years, I''ve become stronger than him.


    If he were to die, in the unlikely event that he does, it would break the vow I made in my previous life to not let anyone else die when I came over here.


    So I''ll stay here alone and continue to defeat the demons in silence.


    With that in mind, I swing my sword at the approaching demon and cut it in two.


    ''''Mmm, this sound of a sword splitting the atmosphere........there, Eric!


    -Seriously?　And you know what?


    I was startled and froze in place when the wolf demon attacked me in a low, earth-crawling stance.


    When I slashed at its body, it let out a scream of despair.


    I knew it was there!　Eric!　They must be there!


    The demon''s screams were the deciding factor and they knew I was here.


    d*mn it I froze, so I couldn''t kill it without slashing its neck and raising the decapitation.


    My dad punched the wall with a thump and talked to me.


    ''Huh ... there you are, Dad.


    I have no choice but to reply to my dad.


    ''Eric!　Why are you outside the walls!


    ...because I built this wall.


    Me and my dad talk through the wall.


    I didn''t really want to find out that I was the one who built the wall, but maybe my sister Tina would find out, so I could tell my dad.


    ''What?''　You made that?　No, it doesn''t matter, Eric, you''re fighting alone right now!


    ''Oh, yes!''


    I reply as I defeat the demons that attack me.


    My dad puts the wall aside and worries about me.


    ''I''ll fight you too!''　Just wait until we tear down this wall!


    Hold on, Dad!　If we break this wall, the demons will enter the village!　Not on that one!


    If we destroy just this part of the wall, the wall that has been protecting us from the demons will now become a wall that prevents us from escaping.


    That much must be avoided.


    ''''Nuh, what should we do then!


    I''ll be fine on my own you just go and see if your mother and the others are okay.


    Maybe it''s my mom, so she''s calming the bewildered villagers down.


    My dad is probably still there, but he''s silent and I don''t know what he''s thinking about.


    Then another night bird of a feather flies through the air and is about to climb over the wall, so I jump and slash it.


    If you can jump like I can, you''ll be able to get over the wall, but my dad isn''t that light.


    As I land, I''m attacked by another demon.


    This time, a large ant-like demon called Killer Ant scratches my back with its sharp claws.


    ''''d*mn!''''


    I wave my arms in pain and cut both of those killer ants off.


    Then I turn my back to the wall again and catch my breath.


    Then I hear my dad''s footsteps moving away from me at the wall.


    That''s it, Dad....


    You don''t have to worry about me.


    Just make sure you protect your mother and Tina.


    And I was ready to fight the demon again, but--.


    The footsteps that had been moving away from me were getting closer again.


    Moreover, they were very fast, and with the force of a sure-fire assault on the wall.


    ''''Whoa!''''


    I can hear my dad''s yelling.


    No way - you''re going to break down the wall!


    Dad, stop it!


    I shouted at him, but he didn''t seem to stop--


    "--That''s it!


    I heard my dad''s spirited voice, but there was no sign of the wall at my back being breached.


    What did my dad want to do?


    I thought for a moment - and then I saw it.


    There was a big shadow on the ground, and I looked up to see what it was - my dad''s ass.


    ''Huh?　Whoa!


    I almost hit him in a daze, but I managed to duck on reflex.


    ''''While... okay, you''ve succeeded!


    My dad lands on the ground from his ass, making a loud noise and dust, and stands up, scraping his ass.


    ''Hey, what the hell are you doing, Dad!


    Of course I''m here to help you!


    I said no!　And where''s the sword!


    My dad came over here, but he was unarmed and didn''t have his usual big sword with him.


    ''You told me to come over here without breaking the wall, so I stabbed the great sword into the ground and used it as a treadmill to come over the wall.


    ''What?　Hey, what are you doing....


    My dad left his only weapon behind to come over here.


    It doesn''t make any sense for him to come over here like that.


    ''What?　Dad!


    Huh?


    My dad was distracted by talking in my direction when a wolf demon attacked from behind him.


    Oh no, I''m late to the party--!


    They''re going to kill my father!


    Hmph!


    I thought so, but my dad turned around and shook his fist, catching the wolf in the face and blowing it away.


    ''....Seriously?


    I''m speechless at how much stronger my dad is than I expected.


    ''''Ha!　My weapon of choice is my body!　You don''t need a big sword to fight me, Eric!


    My father pauses as if he is proud of his body.


    ........If it weren''t for that, I could honestly respect him.


    "Don''t be silly, Dad. We''ll be back next time.


    ''Ha, slimy, slimy!　If you''re going to tie up in a meatball fight with me, bring five Red Bears with you!


    That''s not a tie-in.


    The demons that come at me one after another, I slash them to death with my sword, and my dad beats them away.


    There are many demons that don''t die, but most of them are killed or stunned by a single blow.


    ''''--You can count on me, Dad.


    ''Hmm?　What did you say?!


    I didn''t say anything!


    I shouted that to my dad and swung my sword at him.


    And as I try to slash the demon again and step back, my dad steps back at the same time.


    My back and my dad''s back stick together, and again I put a little weight on it, as if I had just leaned against the wall.


    ''What''s the matter Eric!　If you''re tired, you deserve a break!


    Ha ... pull it out, Dad. There''s still time to spare.


    There was a sense of security in my dad''s back that was different from the time I leaned against the wall.


    -- the last time I saw my dad in a previous life, it was his back against a bunch of demons to protect us.


    Now he has that big back for me.


    When I think of that, the corners of my mouth unconsciously go up.


    "Dad--I''ll leave your back to you.


    Oh, son, you''ll have my back too.


    --Of course I will.


    I had to see you off then... and now I''m going to protect you for sure, Dad.