I was sold to a dangerous place in order to repay my parents’ debt, and I ended up being bought by a vampire young lady. I became the feed for the beautiful maid.

The Hero’s Justice

“Haah!”

“Huh”

At the start, Yuto attacked with a speed that could be mistaken for teleportation. 

He came down from above with a strike, and I defended by holding my wooden sword horizontally.

It was sharp and heavy… I knew that, but his strength far surpassed the other participants.

Anyway, I needed to counterattack… Just as I thought that, Yuto’s figure disappeared.

“Behind!”

Following the chilling intuition, I turned around and swung my wooden sword upward.

A dull sound echoed.

I had managed to defend against Yuto’s attack from behind at the last moment.

However, even though he had his attacks blocked twice, Yuto maintained a calm expression.

“You can react to that, huh? Not bad at all.”

“Don’t compliment me with that look on your face!”

With unnecessary flattery out of the way, I put all my strength into swinging my wooden sword and pushed him back.

I added power to my legs, trying to exploit the opportunity created by the backstep.

“I won’t let you.”

“Kuh!”

However, Yuto struck first, controlling the situation.

I leaped to the left in a split second to dodge, blocking Yuto’s horizontal strike with my wooden sword.

Our wooden swords scraped against each other… it was a sign that our strengths were evenly matched.

The fact that I hadn’t been defeated in a single strike because I could fight better than the other participants… or so I thought.

Could it be that he…?

“Are you planning to thwart my fighting style?”

“You’ve noticed. If I don’t give you a chance to think, you can’t use your strategy. With my superior power and speed, there’s no way you can win. See?”

“Ugh!”

“Just like this!”

Before I could react, Yuto disappeared right in front of him. 

Without resisting the warning bells that rang in my head, I somersaulted forward. 

In my inverted vision, I saw Yuto swinging his wooden sword horizontally.

Or rather, this position was bad!

As expected, Yuto followed up with a swift strike.

His target was my arm…Even with armor and a wooden sword, taking a direct hit would be disadvantageous.

So, using only the strength in my arms, I jumped to a height that would allow me to dodge Yuto’s attack.

It was tough and exhausting, but it was much better than getting hit.

I twisted my body and landed, facing the direction where Yuto had been.

But as expected, Yuto was no longer there.

In situations like this, it usually meant…

“Behind, right!?”

I extended my bent knee at the moment of landing and jumped to the right.

In an instant, a palm strike was launched at the spot I had just been.

Man, the ground got gouged.

I would have been knocked out even with armor on if I had taken that.

A shiver ran down my spine, but Yuto was smiling, looking at me.

“Hahaha, you’re really hanging in there!”

“Life’s been a desperate struggle for me!”

While responding with a dark joke to the irritating praise, they were locked in a blade clash.

The situation was overwhelmingly in his favor.

Faced with a relentless attack that felt like someone playing an instrument while you’re trying to study, there was truly no time for inducing thought, much to my frustration.

Moreover, this guy’s movements were not just to counter my tactics. 

He intended to break my spirit by showcasing his superiority.

The fact that he hadn’t used any magic other than physical enhancement so far supported this.

『『 “Go, hero!” “Keep it up!” “Deliver judgment in our place!” “Hero! Hero!”』』

The cheers of the jealous boys were deafening.

 I focused my gaze on Yuto to avoid losing concentration due to the surrounding cheers.

Perhaps buoyed by the cheers around him, Yuto smiled arrogantly.

“The situation is crystal clear. Surrender now, and you won’t have to suffer any further.”

“Huh? It’s only been five minutes since it started, right? Save your nonsense for bedtime.”

“Do you really think you can win with such a huge difference so far? It’s futile. The strength of my determination in this match is leagues beyond yours.”

“Determination?”

As I asked what he meant, I was suddenly pushed back with even greater force, creating distance between us. 

Seizing the moment of my stumble, Yuto lunged at me with a reverse strike.

Despite my lack of stability, I managed to block it with my wooden sword.

“Succubi need the life force of the opposite sex to survive. There are no shortages of evildoers who take advantage of their nature and force relationships. This isn’t just an Earth-specific issue.”

“Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden? Lilith does need me for sustenance, but that’s irrelevant!”

“No, it is. Being a succubus, she inevitably has to maintain relationships. Not everyone is a good person. To protect her from scheming villains like you, I’ve acquired this power!”

“Ugh!”

Yuto’s wooden sword pressed against mine with a narrow gap, and with my body weight added into the mix, my knees began to buckle under the pressure.

“And then there’s Hizuki-san… She’s a half-blood vampire, a Vanpir, and someone I must protect.”

“! You knew…?”

“Of course, didn’t you? She’s known as the Apostle of the Demon Lord, the embodiment of calamity, but she’s a pitiable victim forcibly transformed. It’s easy to imagine that the lingering persecution still hurts her.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Do you think you can save Hizuki-san from the scorn of people from another world, being an Earthling slave? I don’t! But I’m different! I want to eliminate the persecution of half-blood vampires and create a world where they can live happily without fear!”

“…”

Deciding that resisting against his increasing strength was futile, I slid Yuto’s wooden sword away. 

Immediately breaking free from the deadlock, I took a step back and lightly shook my numb arm, trying to rest it even a little.

Yuto, who didn’t bother hiding his irritation, continued to glare at me.

“That’s my sense of justice, Isaya Tsujizono! You don’t have the will and strength to protect them from many enemies like I do!”

He proudly proclaimed his righteousness, and those words seemed to inspire the onlookers, who erupted in loud cheers.

Justice, huh…

I shook my shoulder and composed my breath, then turned my eyes to Sakura and Lilith, who were likely still watching me.

Sakura had an unusually calm expression, genuinely observing the course of the battle.

Lilith was clasping her hands like she was praying, looking at me with an anxious gaze.

They should have heard Yuto’s words just now.

That’s why… I couldn’t help but feel disappointed in what this had turned into.

“Hehe… Are you bidding farewell to the two of them from here on out?”

Unaware of my inner turmoil Yuto continued with a smug expression.

“But here’s some unfortunate news… I’ve only been using half of my true strength until now.”

“!”

I opened my eyes wide, surprised at the reason behind his overly confident attitude. It wasn’t just me; the spectators were equally astonished.

“He’s been fighting with only half of his power in that incredible battle earlier? Is this already the end!?”

“Wow, amazing, hero, amazing, amazing, amazing!”

Fueled by the tumultuous cheers, Yuto seemed to be in an even better mood. He pointed the tip of his wooden sword with a heroic stance.

“Playtime is over. From now on, you’ll spend your life regretting your wicked deeds.”

As soon as he said that, a tremendous surge of magical power erupted from Yuto, as if he had exploded.

 It wasn’t just a bluff; it seemed he had genuinely been fighting with only half of his power.

Fully convinced of his victory, he grasped the hilt of his wooden sword with both hands, lowered his hips, and assumed a thrusting position. He clearly intended to finish me off with a decisive blow.

Meanwhile, I remained standing, completely drained and limp, as if I had given up.

Thinking I had surrendered, Yuto formed a triumphant grin.

“It’s over now! Lightning Thrust!”

It was a lightning-fast thrust that felt as if lightning itself were striking.

Enveloped in crackling lightning, Yuto approached me in a straight line.

In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance, and I was swallowed by the flash.

—Boom!

A deafening noise, as if a car had collided in the arena, resounded, and a single wooden sword soared through the air.

Everyone watching was left breathless, unable to find words.

Amid the hushed atmosphere, the airborne wooden sword finally landed on the ground.

Still, no one uttered a word.

Then, in the midst of it all, a faint voice, as if someone were letting out a small breath, reached my ears.

It seemed like they couldn’t accept the reality before them, as they trembled in shock.

“What… have you done?”

The voice’s owner, Yuto, asked in a manner that conveyed disbelief. 

His gaze shifted between his empty hands and my posture, still standing in the position I had swung my sword from.

Indeed, the wooden sword that had flown into the air was the one Yuto had been using, and I had deflected it. 

Yuto appeared perplexed because he couldn’t see the counterattack I had executed against his all-out attack.

Now, I hesitated over how to respond to his question. 

The action I had taken was simple; I had merely increased the output of my body enhancement, which I had intentionally kept restrained. However, I had no intention of explaining it in detail.

In a nutshell, to make it easy to understand…

“—It’s not just you who hasn’t been using your full power.”

“Wh-what!?”

In response to my reply, Yuto let out a bewildered, almost monkey-like scream. His reaction seemed to suggest that such a possibility was inconceivable.

“No, no way! Th-that’s nonsense! You were just defending yourself against my attacks the whole time, weren’t you!?”

“No, it’s not that I wasn’t attacking, but I was too busy defending to do anything else. How naive can you be? Normally, when you see someone not attacking, you’d be cautious and wonder if something’s up. I knew you weren’t doing anything, but still.”

“N-no way. Th-That’s a lie! It can’t be!!”

Yuto continued to clutch his head in disbelief.

Well, it’s not surprising, considering I had been leading him to think that way from the start. Given his narrow  worldview, it was incredibly easy.

I can’t help but think he’ll fall for a scam in the near future and cry about it.

With a sigh of exasperation, I pointed to Yuto’s sword, which I had deflected with my wooden sword.

“If you’re so keen on denying it, then… go on, pick it up. The match is still on.”

“!”

My words seemed to have irked him, and instead of replying, Yuto, seemingly offended, picked up the wooden sword from the ground and readied himself.

However, his attitude had changed dramatically from his previous confidence. He now exhibited an open sense of caution, as if he were looking at something unfamiliar and potentially dangerous.

It was only at this point that Yuto finally seemed to recognize my existence.

The board was finally set up to my liking.

I had prepared for this moment with great effort, so it was time to unleash it in a grand way.

I aimed the tip of the wooden sword at Yuto and proclaimed,

 “Now, let’s settle this, Hero-sama. I’ll break your splendid sense of justice and your overblown pride without holding back.”

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