The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned
‘Huff, huff...! Th-this is insane!”
Bishop Jordan clutched his bleeding wound, gasping for breath.
Standing in the way of the vanguard unit headed toward the main hall was a silver-haired female cadet.
She hadn’t appeared on any of the danger watchlists he had compiled—he’d thought she was just a minor distraction.
‘What the hell is that monster?!’
He realized it the moment the battle began.
That silver-haired woman was not someone he could handle.
‘This isn’t about being a cadet or not.’
A Master.
Yes—her sheer combat prowess couldn’t be explained unless she was someone on the level of the Five Heroes, who were considered the strongest among current champions.
‘Could the other Masters be here...? No, there’s no one among the Masters who looks like that.’
Where did things start going wrong?
“Guh... ack!”
A metallic taste rose in his throat as he coughed up blood.
“Is it already over?”
Step. Step.
The silver-haired woman approached him, sword lowered.
Despite the fierce exchange they had just had, she was completely unruffled.
Dignified like moonlight in the night sky, her steps were graceful.
The silver blade in her hand gleamed menacingly.
‘Damn it...’
Bishop Jordan bit his lip anxiously.
He wasn’t entirely out of options.
But—
‘If I use the Ember of Destruction...’
A deep hesitation passed over his face.
To unleash the true power of the Ember of Destruction, a fitting “price” was required.
“Kh...”
The hesitation didn’t last long.
Jordan turned his body, trying to flee from the silver-haired woman.
And then—
Fwoosh.
“...Huh?”
Black flames that had dwelled within his stigmata suddenly flared up and engulfed his body.
“W-what? Why now...?”
The ember gifted to him by Amon began to spiral out of control.
“Ugh...”
FWOOOOOSH!
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”
The fire grew fiercer.
Agonizing pain surged through his veins like molten iron instead of blood.
Staggering back, Bishop Jordan stared at the black flames wrapped around his body.
The Ember of Destruction burned by using the owner's life as fuel.
In other words, using its power rapidly consumed the user’s lifespan.
That’s why it had to be used sparingly.
“W-wait...?”
But this wasn’t "sparingly"—this was burning every last second of his life at once.
As far as he knew, there was only one being who could pull something like this off.
The Lord of Destruction—Amon.
“Damn you... Amon, you bastard!!!”
Before he could scream out in rage—
FWOOOOSH!
Bishop Jordan’s entire body was engulfed in black flame.
The dark magic, fueled by burning life, swept across the surrounding land like a raging storm.
“This is...”
The silver-haired woman—Yurina—stiffened and stepped back.
It was the same situation as when she’d faced the demon Hectar in the Demon Realm.
‘This is dangerous.’
She had already heard from Dale how terrifying that black-flamed demon had been.
And to make things worse—
“Over here!”
“W-wait, is that Bishop Jordan?”
“Did he use the power of the Ember?”
“At this rate, he’s burned up his whole lifespan, hasn’t he...?”
More demons arrived behind him.
‘I can’t afford to stall any longer.’
Yurina turned and fled without hesitation.
FWOOOSH!
The raging flames chased after her as she ran.
“Ngh...!”
The magic shield around her body melted in an instant, and her skin began to burn black.
“I said... stay still!”
With a sweep of silver sword energy, Yurina darted backward.
A searing pain shot through her left thigh, scorched by the black flames, but she gritted her teeth and pushed her speed further.
“Chase her...!”
“Y-yes, sir!”
At Amon’s—no, Jordan’s—command, the demons lunged toward the main hall.
Main Hall.
Inside the hall, the cadets gathered in terror after hearing the emergency broadcast.
“D-demons attacked the academy...?”
“Did you see how many there were earlier? How are we supposed to deal with that?”
“I don’t want to die...”
There had been an attack last year by a beast army led by the Archbishop of Beasts, but this time was different.
Beasts and demons.
If you asked which was more terrifying, most people would point to the demons.
“Get a grip, all of you!”
Professor Lucas’s voice thundered through the hall.
“Is this the pathetic sight I should expect from so-called hero candidates?”
“B-but...”
“No ‘buts,’ you cowards!”
BOOM!
Lucas stomped the floor with such force that the entire hall trembled, drawing all eyes to him.
“What do you think a hero really is?”
“......”
Silence fell over the room.
Sigh.
Professor Lucas let out a deep sigh and looked around at the pale, trembling cadets.
“AL-BERTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!”
“Why is it always me at times like this?!”
Albert, who had been hiding among the other cadets, stood up with a trembling body.
“Well? Give me an answer!”
“A-a hero is... a superhuman chosen by the Seven Gods to stand against the Demon King’s army and protect humanity!”
“Right. A hero is a ‘superhuman’.”
Tch.
Lucas clicked his tongue and continued.
“In other words, at the end of the day, you’re just a slightly stronger human.”
"That's right."
“It's okay to be afraid. It's fine to tremble in fear.”
Professor Lucas spoke quietly as he looked over the trembling cadets.
“But—don’t act disgracefully. That is the bare minimum duty of someone chosen by the gods to protect humanity.”
“......”
Silence settled over the auditorium.
Clap, clap, clap.
The sound of applause broke the stillness.
“Hoho. As expected of Professor Lucas. That was a truly stirring speech.”
“Pr- Principal?”
Principal Lionel looked around at the gathered cadets and turned to Professor Elisha.
“Is everyone here?”
“Yes. A few cadets haven't arrived yet... but they're currently on a separate 'mission.'”
“Understood.”
Nodding, Principal Lionel stepped up to the podium.
“I'm sure many of you were startled by the sudden attack.”
“......”
“But don’t worry. The warp gate will open soon, and you’ll be able to evacuate safely.”
“Th-The warp gate!”
At the mention of the warp gate, the auditorium instantly erupted in noise.
But only for a moment.
“Silence.”
The Principal’s calm, low voice quickly subdued the commotion.
“I understand your desire to escape as quickly as possible. However, as Professor Lucas said, each and every one of you was chosen by the gods and bears the duty of protecting humanity.”
"Therefore..."
“Once the warp gate opens, I ask that you evacuate in an orderly fashion, starting with the first-year cadets.”
A faint smile appeared on the Principal’s lips.
“Can I trust in my proud cadets?”
“......”
Instead of replying, the cadets quickly lined up according to their year.
Satisfied, Principal Lionel nodded.
“Cadet Dale, I leave it to you.”
“Yes, sir.”
They had already received word from Professor Elisha that the demons were gathering near the auditorium, so there was no need to delay any longer.
Fwoooosh!
Ashes ignited and flared as burning flames consumed the air.
As the surging magic was drawn inward, a warp gate formed in the center of the auditorium.
“Alright! First-years, begin moving in order!”
Following Professor Lucas’s instructions, the cadets began to evacuate.
As the evacuation progressed—
BOOOOM!
The auditorium doors were blasted open, and demons burst in.
“Hahaha! So this is where you were all hiding—”
“W-What the—?”
“The warp gate...?”
The demons, startled at the sight of the warp gate, wore puzzled expressions.
“Damn it...! Destroy the warp gate quickly!”
“Don’t let them escape!”
High-ranking bishop-level demons among the Apostles of Destruction shouted frantically.
Just as they began charging toward the gate—
FWOOOOSH!
Raging black flames erupted.
“Ah...”
“Wh-What is this... my body...”
“Aaaagh! It’s burning! It’s burning hottttt!!!”
The demons writhed and screamed in agony as the black flames wrapped around them and blazed fiercely.
“That’s...”
As the demons were engulfed in the black fire, those watching grimaced.
“Ugh...! D-Dale!”
CRASH!
Yurina burst through a wall of the auditorium.
“A-Amon...! He’s turning the demons into his clones!”
“...Clones, huh.”
Dale frowned and looked back at the demons engulfed in black flames.
Just like in the demon realm, the demons’ bodies were slowly losing their original forms, transforming into shapes resembling Amon.
‘We just need to hold out until reinforcements arrive.’
Once the evacuation was complete, reinforcements from the Empire, the Holy Kingdom, and the Republic would arrive.
‘No need to fight recklessly until then.’
What mattered now was stalling for time—
“...Huh?”
Then he noticed Yurina, frowning and clutching her leg.
“What’s wrong?”
“I-It’s nothing!”
“Doesn’t look like nothing.”
“I... got a little hurt fighting Amon’s clone.”
“...Let me see.”
“I-It’s fine! Don’t worry about it!”
“Now.”
He grabbed Yurina’s wrist and pulled.
Her left thigh was severely burned, the flesh scorched to the point the bone was visible.
“I-I’ll ask Iris to heal me later, so don’t worry.”
“......”
“D-Dale? You look scary...”
“Berald.”
“You called, brother?”
Berald, who had already arrived at the auditorium, quickly stepped forward.
“Take Yurina to Iris.”
“Huh? She’s injured?”
His face twisted in shock after seeing Yurina’s thigh wound.
“You can count on me! I’ll take her to Sister Iris right away!”
“Good.”
Nodding, Dale stepped forward.
Originally, he had planned to hold back and stall until the reinforcements came.
FWOOSH!
But now, raging gray flames erupted and consumed the black fire.
“Amon, I know you're watching this from some corner, aren’t you?”
He slowly gestured toward Amon’s clones.
“Come out, you bastard.”

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