I pursued the direction where I had punched the hero, sending him flying. This place was littered with the fallen forms of Jilbe and his subordinates. It was clear that I had to ensure our fight took place away from here.

A little further ahead, I saw the hero standing as if nothing had happened.

I had hit him with all my strength, but he was already back on his feet. Damn, tougher than Jilbe.

"...You bastard! How dare you scar my face, you lowly extra!"

The spot where I struck him was swollen and red, with a bit of blood trickling from his mouth. Whether it was due to some body-enhancing magic or natural resilience, the hero still seemed unfazed.

"Calm down, me. Sure, it’s certain I’m going to kill this jerk for hitting my face, but if he’s really the Demon Lord, killing him will end this war. And then, having defeated not one but two Demon Lords, I’ll be hailed as the greatest hero of all time..."

The hero muttered to himself, clearly imagining the glory awaiting him after defeating me.

"I should’ve wiped out the remnants after I killed the last Demon Lord. Letting them go was my mistake. These pests cling to life like cockroaches. Lesson learned! Man, I’m such a good boy for reflecting on my actions. Now let’s finish this up and head back to the empire. Can’t wait to party with the ladies!"

"………………"

"If I massacre all the demon scum again, they’ll have to let me marry that princess. Her personality’s garbage, but damn, she’s hot. The ultimate fairytale ending: the hero marries the princess. Classic, right?"

Listening to him made my blood boil. This so-called hero only cared about himself.

"Well then, let’s wrap this up by killing the self-proclaimed Demon Lord. Oh, and don’t get cocky just because you landed one punch. That didn’t hurt at all. High Heal!"

The hero cast healing magic, and the swelling on his face vanished instantly.

As expected, he could heal himself. Meanwhile, I didn’t have that luxury.

A prolonged fight would put me at a disadvantage. Without healing abilities, a quick battle was my best shot. Besides, Jilbe and his men wouldn’t last much longer.

"Fire Lance, Wind Cutter!"

I launched twenty fire spells and twenty wind spells at the hero, keeping my distance.

Though just a test, these spells were more than enough to deal with ordinary opponents.

"…You kidding me?"

The hero swung his massive sword, effortlessly cutting through all forty spells in an instant.

Even with my accelerated thought skill, which slowed down my perception of time, his movements seemed incredibly fast.

His sword moved so quickly that it was nearly invisible to the naked eye, slashing through every spell with precision. And as the spells were cut, they dissipated entirely. So that’s the power of that sacred sword.

"Come on, if you’re the final boss, at least make it fun! Sure, you’ve got some magic chops, but this is mid-boss level at best!"

…He’s treating this like some sort of game. Damn kids.

Immature as his words were, the hero’s strength was no joke.

Not only had he shrugged off my punch, but his speed and precision were leagues beyond any so-called "hero" I’d encountered in this world.

"Surely you’ve done your homework on my sacred sword, haven’t you?"

Indeed, that sacred sword was a legendary weapon passed down in the empire. It was said to be unbreakable, harder than any material.

But its most terrifying ability was its power to cut through magic itself. Any spell it sliced was nullified immediately.

My earlier magic attacks had been reduced to nothing the moment they touched the blade. It truly was a cheat weapon.

"Well then, time to finish you off!"

"…!"

The hero charged at me with astonishing speed.

Thanks to my accelerated thought skill, I reacted in time, leaping to the side to dodge and create distance.

"Well, well, looks like you’ve learned a thing or two."

"………………"

I repositioned myself, keeping a safe distance.

The hero had been summoned to this world five years ago and had been fighting demons ever since, including the last Demon Lord. His combat experience far outstripped mine.

But his fame was a double-edged sword—his abilities and weapons were well-documented. While the sacred sword was dangerous, the real threat was his cheat skill.

This skill wasn’t just about enhancing himself; it also weakened his enemies. It was a devastating buff-debuff combo.

If his strength doubled while his opponent’s halved, the gap would effectively be quadrupled. I doubted the effect was that extreme, but it was still something to be wary of.

Worse, the skill wasn’t limited to just himself. It extended to allies within a certain range, strengthening them while weakening all enemies.

Thankfully, he was alone this time, so that aspect wasn’t an issue.

"No need to get all scared—I’m not even gonna use my skill against a nobody like you."

"………………"

As if I’d trust a word from this jerk.

Knowing his personality, he’d definitely activate it the moment he felt cornered.