“What an entertaining guy. Fighting for a woman, eh?”

“If it’s for the heroines, I’m prepared to change the world itself.”

“That’s the spirit! Even the dumbest notions can become conviction if you push them through. Then do it—change this world! With those two swords of yours!”

Kenya and Osiris clashed once more.

This time, on an even higher plane than before.

No one left in the arena could comprehend the battle anymore.

Just watching it felt like your soul was being torn apart—an inhuman struggle.

The mere clash of metal made your skin crawl and your heart scream.

“Thank you, Reina. Thanks to you, I could pick up my sword again! Your voice reminded me why I fight!”

“!? …It’s rising!?”

Kenya slashed relentlessly, lost in the flow.

Osiris faltered under the barrage—undeniably faster than before.

His cleared mind churned out optimal moves one after another.

“Still holding back, huh…? H-How far…? Guh!”

“I’m not holding back. That really was my all. But I remembered! Why I fight!”

“Guh!”

“It wasn’t some grand thing like fighting for the world.”

Kenya unlocked the gateway to ultimate focus once again.

But this time, he stepped even further—beyond that blinding door.

Beyond it stood two girls, smiling at him.

Deep within, supporting the core of his heart, were the two heroines he’d fallen for hard.

The tsundere princess Kaguya.

“The one core inside me! It hasn’t changed since that day!”

The cool beauty Ice Princess.

“Nngh!! Haha! Incredible, incredible, Sword!”

Osiris realized he was gradually being pushed back, wounds appearing on his machine.

Growing anxious, he bellowed with what seemed like delight.

This knight had burst into their world, become Road’s knight in half a year, and now challenged the empire’s strongest.

His past was a mystery, his origins dubious at best. Osiris demanded answers amid the joy of this deathmatch against a foe who might still surpass him at full power.

“What are you!? What the hell are you!!?”

And Kenya roared his answer.

“I’m a shut-in!!”

“Ridiculous! Guh!”

“But coming to this world, meeting Kaguya, meeting Reina—I changed! This worthless gamer shut-in changed!!”

In their extreme states, Osiris and Kenya exchanged ultimate sword strikes, ascending to new heights.

The battle at its pinnacle accumulated experience beyond any normal battlefield.

The two hurtled toward a realm no one had reached.

But only the boy truly stepped in—Osiris was left behind.

Both gained experience, yet only Kenya advanced, stranding Osiris.

Little by little, Osiris couldn’t keep up with Kenya’s speed, his strikes.

“I learned this game world is real! A world full of crying people!”

“That’s the world!! Strong and weak! It’s always divided into two!! The ruled and the rulers!!”

Their clashing blades, Osiris pushed back—the gap surely born of.

“That’s why I’ll change it!!”

The strength of his convictions.

His feelings for KOG, for his two heroines.

Those feelings overcame the extremes now, bearing fruit and blooming.

The boy stood alone at the pinnacle of martial arts no one had touched.

But he wasn’t lonely—people supported him, loved him.

People called him here.

Watching that, Odin trembled and screamed.

Instinct screamed it—even a novice could see: that was a master at the peak of the sword.

“Why… Whyyy!! Why is this happening!! Road!! What the hell is your knight!!?”

And from the start of the fight.

Even after collapsing, the boy who’d never doubted Kenya’s victory rose.

Believing utterly in his knight’s triumph, Road Earthguard stood and shouted.

“Go, Kenya!”

“That’s why I’ll change it—this cruel world! For the heroines! I’ll become the world’s strongest knight! And then!”

“With those two swords,”

Kenya’s left sword sent Osiris’s blade flying high into the air.

“I’ll carve open even fate itself!”

“I’ll change it into a world where I can just fool around with those two!!”

Kenya’s right sword pierced Osiris’s KOG, Gungnir.

Those swords in both hands truly carried his feelings for the two.

By the straight thrust of Kenya’s blade, Takemikazuchi’s blade.

It impaled the red-and-black giant.

“Magnificent…”

And Gungnir ground to a halt.

Piercing Osiris’s right arm entirely, it shut down all functions completely.

Kenya withdrew the blade slick with red blood; Gungnir slowly toppled.

In that instant, the victor—the world’s strongest—was.

“…The, the outcome!! An utterly dramatic finish!! The one who conquered this endless deathmatch!! The one who conquered this unprecedented fury!! The world’s strongest knight who conquered the Empire Sword Martial Festival is… Sword Silfield!! Victory for His Highness Road’s knight!!”

It was decided: the otherworld knight, Kenya Mikazuki.

“Uoooooh!!”

The arena erupted in cheers that threatened to bring down the walls.

Relief from the suffocating tension of life-or-death pressure mixed with tears from the soul-shaking battle.

One brutal fight after another.

Conquered by the youngest knight at 16.

Defeating the empire’s strongest, claiming the title of world’s strongest.

The Kenya who awakened that day reached even greater heights today.

Blossoming all his talent to an unprecedented pinnacle no human could attain.

The very limit of what man could reach.

“Yooosh!!”

One man rejoiced more than any, clenching his fist with a shout.

Road struck a massive guts pose and bolted straight to the battlefield.

To Takemikazuchi, straight ahead—and Reina and Zeke leaped out with him.

The roaring cheers unending, Road’s group rushed from the stands to the arena.

“Kenya!”

Reina climbed the ladder, pulling Kenya from the cockpit.

It had been a fight where his life hung by a thread.

But inside was.

“Kenya! Kenya!!”

“Ah, Reina… Thank you. I won because of you…”

Kenya, still full of energy.

“You… You had me so worried…”

Tears streamed down Reina’s face; Kenya smiled weakly.

“Reina… Thanks. I heard you. Your voice.”

“Ugh, ugh. I really thought you were gonna die…”

Reina hugged Kenya tight, sobbing.

And then.

“I love you, Kenya. I love you so much. I’ll never leave you again. I swear I’ll never look away!”

Reina kissed Kenya.

A hot kiss, salty with tears.

“Feels like I’m gonna die happy.”

“No joking like that right now, seriously.”

And with Reina carrying him, Kenya descended from Takemikazuchi.

“Well done, Kenya. Truly! Leave the rest to me and rest.”

Road and Kenya bumped fists.

“Ah, I’m at my limit. The rest… is up to you…”

“Kenya!?”

“He’s fine, Reina. Pulse is steady—just passed out. I’ll carry him. Honestly… my boy’s one hell of a guy.”

“What, you approve of me and Reina? Zeke?”

“Approve? It’s not even…”

“Daddy, I’m marrying Kenya. I want to be with him forever.”

Zeke looked at his daughter Reina.

Her face flushed red, gazing worriedly at Kenya.

The emotionless face once called Ice Princess was now just that of a girl in love.

The ice had melted into tears; now blazing was the flame of romance.

“That’s why. And I can’t object anymore. Is there a better knight than him?”

“Heh. No. He’s the world’s strongest, after all.”

Zeke and Road shared a laugh.

And Zeke carried the softly sleeping Kenya straight to the emergency medical room.

Osiris too was rescued and carried away.

One arm lost, massive blood loss, unconscious.

And one imperial left behind.

Unable even to rise from his throne, trembling violently.

“He lost…?”

Odin couldn’t stand for a while.

“Why? Why did he lose?”

Odin repeated in disbelief, and then.

“Damn iiiit!!!”

The composed Odin screamed.

And one more—the beauty beside Odin.

“I-It can’t… It can’t be!! My plan was perfect! Why!? O-Odin-sama! This is some mistake! Odin-sama!”

Seeing that, Odin drew his sword.

“No, no!! Why!? Why me!? Why should I, for some filthy blood like that!!?”

Catherine shrieked pathetically.

Then she looked at Odin and began licking his boots.

“Odin-sama? Please? I’ll do anything! I beg you! Please!”

“Die, you useless trash!”

“N-Nooo!! I don’t wanna diiiie!!”

Impaled while licking his boots, Catherine breathed her last.

Red blood flowed; she died all too easily.

Her expression befitted the ugly end of a wicked witch—a pathetic corpse.

And.

“Don’t get cocky, Road. This is temporary. I’m handing you this country for now, Lirbelt. There won’t be a next time.”

Lirbelt quietly offered his neck; Odin sheathed his blade.

“…Yes.”

And Odin, Lirbelt, and their entourage left the arena.

(Sword. Will we meet next on the battlefield…?)

That day, many powerful nobles decided to side with Road.

The citizens, the soldiers too—their hearts had already crowned Road emperor.

Such was the intensity of the battle.

No one could dismiss it lightly.

Even those who’d backed Odin wavered.

Might is right—the hearts of the imperial citizens, infused with that spirit, were moved.

Thus the Empire Sword Martial Festival, the grand martial spectacle.

Their hearts trembled enough to pledge loyalty to the knight’s lord, Road, who conquered it.

Now their forces were evenly matched.

Perhaps even Road’s side held the edge.

“Thank you, Kenya. Now I’m emperor.”

Road returned to his seat.

Odin was already gone.

“He’s left, my brother.”

And Road took the mic.

To declare to the arena.

“First, my deepest gratitude to my knight, Sword Silfield.”

Road’s speech began with thanks to Kenya.

“Some saw this battle live, others through footage—but all witnessed this fierce struggle, this true fight to the death. And my knight, Sword Silfield, emerged victorious!”

Cheers and applause erupted anew.

“And now, my brother Odin has left this place. By His Majesty’s decree, the winner of this Empire Sword Martial Festival is the next emperor! In other words!”

He raised his voice sharply, proclaiming clearly as if to convince himself.

“I, Road Earthguard, the 100th Emperor, shall lead you all!”

“Uoooooh!!”

The arena boiled over.

The next emperor decided, the charismatic Road taking the throne.

The anxious citizens sighed in relief—Road wouldn’t lose.

The undefeated commander as emperor meant sure victory in war.

“And today, as your new emperor, I make my first promise to you all.”

Road began to speak.

Kenya, imprisoned then, knew nothing of the world’s shifting tides.

“I swear: I will protect the Earthguard Empire! I will lead you all!”

Earthguard’s greatest foe, born while Kenya was captive.

Already declared war upon Earthguard.

That enemy had forged a massive union dividing the world in two.

That enemy was.

“The World Union!”

All nations but Earthguard united—the world’s largest alliance bared its fangs at Earthguard.

But for now, the world’s strongest knight knew nothing of it.

The knight whose mind nearly burned out in battle had fallen asleep.

Preparing for the next fight, ignorant of his foe.

Afterword

Thank you so much to all readers who’ve made it this far.

If you enjoyed it, a star rating below would really motivate me to keep writing.

Your passionate comments mean the world to me.

I originally planned to blast through the final five chapters with back-to-back posts, but they dragged on—sorry about that.

Consecutive posts meant too many missed them…

What’d you think of Kenya’s battle?

If it fired you up, I’m thrilled.

What happens to the world next?

What about Kaguya and Reina?

Can Kenya change it into a world where he can just goof off with those two?

Anyway!

This concludes Chapter 2: Earthguard Arc. Starting tomorrow: Chapter 3, World Union Arc. Chapter 4 will be the finale, so not much longer now.

See you at the end of Chapter 3!

KAZU.