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“It is unbelievably tough. No matter how strong you are, this one will make you sweat.”
Instead of irritation, Shia’s words stirred a pleasant thrill in me.
“Not bad. Up until now it felt a little like incomplete combustion… maybe this time I’ll really get to swing my sword properly.”
The best part of coming to this world was simple: unlike Earth, I could keep the “switch” on all the time without a problem.
Back on Earth, smashing rocks and cutting steel was enough to be branded a monster. But here, in a land where lunatics crushed mountains with magic and split seas with sword strikes, nobody blinked twice if I flipped the switch.
The only downside was—
‘There was still no one worth going all out against.’
That was why this twin-head ogre was a welcome sight. At last, something that might be worth the effort. And best of all, Shia herself had guaranteed it would be a worthy opponent.
Thud! Thud!
I raised my sword toward the lumbering giant charging with earth-shaking steps.
“Your lackeys were all a disappointment… I trust you’ll be better.”
“GRRAAAAHHH!!”
It answered not with words but with a three-meter iron club, swung straight down from above.
KWEHHHHHHH!!
From nearly three stories up, the blow crashed into where I’d been a heartbeat before.
KWA-BOOOM!!
The ground shattered, rippling like an earthquake. The sheer impact told me this thing wasn’t hollow—it was solid metal from end to end.
VWOOM!!
The first attack failed, but the beast recovered instantly, sweeping the club sideways. Its agility was almost human. I kicked off the ground, pulling back, only for it to close the distance in a single step and bring the club down again.
‘Fast!’
People often made the mistake of thinking big meant slow. Wrong. Think about it: when a human takes a one-meter stride, a five-meter monster covers three, four. Even if it moved a little sluggishly, how could it possibly be slower than us?
VWOOOONG!!
The massive club split the air with a deafening roar. Its range was so wide, there was nowhere good to dodge. Sure, I could slip past it—but if I kept doing that, it would never end.
Then the answer was simple: cut it.
Sss…
—Focus.
My thoughts accelerated, and the world around me began to drift lazily in comparison.
I swung upward, drawing my blade as if unsheathing it, straight into the falling club.
Ching!
No mana, no aura—but the sheer mastery contained in the swing split the enormous club like tofu, a golden flash slicing it clean through.
KWA-BOOOOOOM!!
The severed chunk exploded into the ground just behind me. In that same instant, I skimmed forward and drove my sword into the beast’s chest.
Crunch-crunch-crunch!!
The ogre blinked dumbly at the ruined handle in its hands. A beat later, agony tore through its torso, and both heads howled at once.
“KKEEEEEEH!”
“KRAAAAHHH!!”
It stumbled back in panic, hopping to widen the distance. Blood sprayed in great sheets from its torn chest, staining the ground.
Not that it meant I could relax.
“…Damn. Tough as hell. Its body’s sturdier than its weapon.”
Even for me, that had been a carefully placed strike—yet I hadn’t sunk the blade halfway. The bleeding looked heavy, but that was only because of its sheer bulk. It wasn’t anywhere close to a fatal wound.
‘…Insane defense. Shia wasn’t exaggerating.’
After one exchange, I had the measure of it. Killing this thing wouldn’t be difficult; I could keep stabbing and slashing until it dropped.
‘But that would take too long.’
The twin-head ogre pounded its chest, both throats roaring with fury. I narrowed my eyes.
“Interesting. So… how should I handle you?”
Flashes of choices streaked through my mind.
‘What about magic or divine power?’
‘Not enough.’
‘Use the terrain?’
‘Nothing here.’
‘Artifacts?’
‘Maybe, but why bother?’
Among all those choices, I marked some as impossible, others as worth considering. Then—one lit up in my mind.
‘Ah. Right. I still have that.’
The trick I’d used back when I fought Yuribel, to pierce through her barrier.
Spatial fracturing?! You’re not breaking the wall itself, but the coordinates of the space it’s anchored to? With raw metal? What is that? That’s terrifying!
Exactly. Back then, I hadn’t even used a sword. I’d split space itself with nothing but a fork.
And that was my first time ever using it. I’d just thought, I need it, and created it right then and there.
‘The first time was easy. So the second time… how much easier will it be?’
I turned my sword to my left hip, bending my upper body slightly as I recalled the sensation.
The method was simple:
- Become aware of the dimension beyond the third, and draw it into the realm of my perception.
- Swing the sword in the direction of that fourth dimension.
If that sounds confusing, imagine a drawing on paper and someone slicing it along the Z-axis. Then raise that concept one dimension higher.
Honestly, it was already an absurd impossibility from step one—but for me, it worked.
“Alright… let’s try it.”
...
BOOOM!!
The giant leapt high, its shadow blotting out the world as it crashed down.
It wasn’t bothering with finesse. Just using its sheer bulk and mass to body-press me into the ground. And to be fair, that was the one attack most troublesome for me to counter. Having two heads must’ve given it quicker reaction time too.
That was true—until now.
Sss…
I steadied my breath.
Clack.
Raising my blade high like a kendo stance, I held it ready.
And before the monster’s body even finished falling, I quietly swung down into the air.
“Hup!”
Kiiing—!
The blade cut through space itself, tearing the dimension open.
Where it passed, the air split, and a jagged black wound nearly four meters long spread wide like the mouth of an abyss.
Crackle-crackle-crackle-crack!!
—Dimensional Fracture.
It was like drawing a line of ink across the canvas of the sky.
And the twin-head ogre, arms spread wide, slammed straight into that crack.
—And was split apart.
Fwhoooosh!
Not even a scream. Just a grotesque, silent death.
...
KWA-THUD! SPLAT!
The ogre’s body hit the ground, split perfectly down the middle, intestines and blood pouring out as the halves toppled apart.
But its remains were smaller than expected—nearly a third of its mass had been swallowed by the fracture itself.
Shia approached, clicking her tongue in disbelief.
“Dimensional Fracture, huh. I knew it was possible, but still… I can’t help but be impressed.”
“Well, it’s nothing much.”
“No, don’t brush it off so lightly. Even Transcendents don’t easily touch the realms of time and space. Yet you managed it with nothing but swordsmanship, not even magic. I suppose that’s why, the moment you gained divine power, you shot straight to the rank of Potestates.”
Shia nudged the ogre’s split corpse with her foot—the first time its two heads had ever been given their own bodies. Then she glanced at me and asked,
“But… are you sure this is okay?”
“What? We’ve got evidence to bury Goldie, two witnesses lined up. All that’s left is to drag him out and break him. Did I miss something?”
“No, not that… I meant those kids.”
“Hm? What about them?”
Shia pointed, first at the lingering fracture warping the air, then at Sensible and Timid.
“You showed them too much. Letting them go like this might bring trouble later.”
“Ah… you might be right.”
In this age, where strength meant power and wealth, an unaffiliated Master-level fighter was like a jewel lying in the road. Whoever picked them up—be it a family, a fief, or a nation—would rise overnight.
I doubted either of them would go blabbing, but people said even the deepest water was easier to read than the depths of a person’s heart.
“Hmm… maybe I overdid it. What now?”
Shia tapped her chin, humming thoughtfully, then snapped her fingers.
“What about killing and burying them?”
“…Are you the devil?”
“I’m a Demon King.”
I flicked my finger against her forehead, delivering a furious little flick.
Smack!
“Ow-ow-ow…”
Shia rubbed her forehead with a scowl.
“Then what? Do you have some brilliant alternative?”
“…I do.”
“What?”
“If we slap collars on them and let your earring handle the brainwashing—”
Shia gave me a dry laugh.
“Look who’s calling me a devil. We’re the same, you hypocrite.”
We stared each other down for a moment before both sighing.
“Then there’s only one option.”
“Mm. I suppose so.”
No helping it. For now… abduction and confinement.
“Sensible. Timid. Come here.”
I gestured, and the two of them came running with jerky still in their mouths.
“Hey. You two.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Yes, sir!!”
Maybe it was the battle we’d just fought, but they snapped to attention like soldiers, rigid and nervous.
“I’m going to ask a few questions. I want honest answers.”
“Understood. Anything.”
“Yes, sir. Please go ahead.”
“From here on, I’m going after Goldie and Sparks. Along the way, unless something really unusual happens, Goldie is going to die. Anyone here got a problem with that?”
They shook their heads furiously.
Sensible spoke first.
“If he did something worth dying for, then he should die. Earth Mother Kanan herself said: if a man envies his neighbor’s harvest and ruins their fields, kill him and bury him in the earth. Then the land will yield more.”
“…She really said that?”
“Yes. She really did. It’s in Cresios, chapter 11.”
Timid frowned and spoke up carefully.
“Uh… isn’t that Cresios book considered apocrypha, not canon?”
“In our sect, it’s canon. Just because the words are a little extreme, rejecting it as apocrypha—what weakness.”
“…Right.”
…Later, I’d have to ask this Kanan myself if that was true. Yuribel could probably set that up.
“Well, that’s Sensible’s answer. What about you, Timid?”
“…I—I’m fine with it too.”
“Really?”
“B-but… may I make one request?”
“What kind of request?”
Her eyes darkened, a spark of hazel fire flickering within. Her voice was small, but firm.
“…Please. Let me be the one to kill Young Master.”
…These kids were more twisted than I thought.
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