Journey to Become the Zenith

The Lonely Weight of Justice

He spoke quietly.

”You remind me too much of myself.”

The words were soft.

Almost distant.

Videl remained silent.

She did not know how to answer that.

The ancient fortress had fallen strangely quiet after the disappearance of the knights. Only the faint hum of ancient mana flowing through the walls could be heard now. The crystal lamps embedded into the stone corridors flickered softly, casting long shadows across the massive chamber.

Then—

Her gaze slowly drifted toward the place where the knights once stood.

Empty.

Gone.

No blood.

No corpses.

No signs they had ever existed there at all.

Something inside her chest tightened suddenly.

A cold feeling spread through her body.

Her fingers instinctively tightened around the handle of the Long Sword.

Videl who saw the whole scene happen before her very eyes was shocked.

No—

Not just shocked.

Disturbed.

Because despite the overwhelming pressure the ancient being emitted... despite understanding that the enemy knights had come to kill her... despite being moments away from her own death earlier...

Part of her still could not accept what she had just witnessed.

Even in the face of such great power Videl spoke with justice filling her voice.

Her sapphire eyes sharpened.

Her exhausted body trembled slightly from emotional tension rather than fear.

Even though they were the enemies, and she was prepared to take down as much as she could.

Videl’s hypocrisy came about, she knew she had no choice, but the being in front of her wasn’t someone who would find it difficult to subdue those knights without killing them.

The pressure in the room suddenly felt colder.

Videl took a step forward.

Her voice echoed clearly throughout the hall.

”What have you done with them!”

The words came out sharper than expected.

Anger.

Confusion.

Fear.

All of it mixed together within her voice.

Hearing the anger in Videl voice, for the enemies she was ready to kill in her last stand made the fourth hero chuckle some more.

A low laugh escaped him once again.

But unlike before—

This time it carried something heavier.

Something bitter.

The fourth hero slowly turned his head toward her, his long black hair shifting across his shoulders as his crimson-golden eyes observed her carefully.

His dragon-like wings remained half-open behind him, radiating overwhelming pressure through the ancient chamber.

Yet strangely—

He did not seem offended.

Instead, he looked almost amused.

’Such a flimsy justice... Is this my junior? The new hero? Justice without power turns into hypocrisy, isn’t that right demon lord.’

The fourth hero then remembered his friend, rival, and mortal enemy in ages past.

For the briefest moment—

The smile on his face weakened.

Memories surfaced within his ancient eyes.

A battlefield beneath a burning crimson sky.

A man cloaked in darkness standing against countless armies.

Two figures opposing one another while understanding each other better than anyone else.

Hero.

Demon lord.

Enemies to the world.

Brothers in spirit.

The fourth hero silently exhaled.

How many years had passed since then?

How many ages since he last spoke to someone as foolishly righteous as the girl standing before him now?

Seeing the fourth hero smile and chuckle in a carefree manner, made Videl even more angry.

To Videl, that smile felt wrong.

Too calm.

Too detached.

People had just vanished before her eyes, yet this terrifying ancient being laughed as though nothing significant had happened.

Her brows furrowed deeply.

”You—”

She was about to say something more, but the fourth hero spoke first.

”Do not worry little hero. I didn’t kill them, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

His voice was calm.

Almost casual.

Yet the moment those words entered the chamber—

The tension inside Videl’s chest loosened slightly.

Hearing the fourth hero’s answer to her query, made Videl stand there shocked by the answer.

”...You didn’t?”

The anger in her eyes faltered.

Confusion replaced it.

The fourth hero slowly looked away from her and toward the empty space where the knights once stood.

A faint sigh escaped him.

”I may have abandoned many things long ago...” he muttered quietly, almost to himself. ”But needless slaughter has never interested me.”

Videl stared silently at his back.

For someone so terrifying...

His words felt strangely genuine.

After regaining her wits, she cautiously asked.

”Then what happened to them?”

The fourth hero answered without hesitation.

”I transported them out of the cave and erased their memories of the past few days.”

Silence.

Videl’s eyes widened visibly.

Even Amura froze beside her in spirit form.

The scale of what he casually described was absurd.

Transporting dozens of people simultaneously was already difficult beyond belief.

But erasing memories?

Not damaging minds.

Not killing them.

Precisely removing memories from multiple individuals at once—

That was something completely beyond Videl’s understanding.

When Videl heard what the fourth hero did, she was amazed.

This was the first person she had met that far surpassed Victor’s abilities.

And that realization shook her deeply.

Because in Videl’s mind—

Victor had always seemed untouchable.

No matter the situation.

No matter the enemy.

He always felt like someone standing several steps ahead of everyone else.

Yet now—

This ancient being before her radiated a completely different level of existence.

Not merely stronger.

Older.

Sharper.

Like a monster who had survived countless eras.

The fourth hero glanced sideways at her.

The stunned expression on her face clearly amused him.

”You compare me to someone in your head.”

Videl immediately stiffened.

The fourth hero smirked faintly.

”Relax. I did not read your mind.”

”...”

”You heroes are simply easy to understand.”

That statement somehow irritated Videl a little.

Her lips twitched slightly.

Amura noticed it and nearly laughed.

The fourth hero slowly began walking deeper into the fortress.

His footsteps echoed through the ancient halls while the dragon-like wings behind him folded slightly.

The pressure in the chamber gradually weakened as he moved away, allowing Videl to finally breathe properly again.

Only now did she realize how tense her body had become.

Sweat lightly covered her palms.

Her heartbeat still pounded heavily inside her chest.

Yet despite everything—

Curiosity slowly began overtaking her caution.

Who exactly was this man?

Why did he call her ”little hero”?

And what did he mean when he said she reminded him of himself?

The fourth hero walked by the amazed Videl and opened a door hidden within the walls.

The ancient stone wall trembled softly before sliding apart.

A warm golden light spilled outward from inside the hidden chamber.

The atmosphere beyond the doorway felt completely different from the cold fortress corridors.

Warm.

Quiet.

Almost peaceful.

Videl blinked in surprise.

She had expected something darker.

A prison perhaps.

Or an armory.

Instead—

The hidden room looked strangely normal.

Ancient wooden furniture filled the room.

Bookshelves lined the walls.

A large table rested near the center beside a fireplace burning with blue flames.

It felt less like the residence of an ancient monster...

And more like the lonely home of someone who had lived there for a very long time.

The fourth hero paused near the doorway before glancing back at her.

For the first time since meeting him—

His expression softened slightly.

”Little hero come join me in a meal.”