The Path of an S-Rank Adventurer: The Boy Who Was Expelled from His Party Awakens to His True Power [Weapon Master] and Eventually Becomes the World’s Strongest

Two Sashas

Two Sashas.

Double the power… no, far beyond that.

“Silver Star Sword, [Lotus Blade]!!”

“Silver Holy Sword, [Sky Fang]!!”

Silver slashes, one a blade and the other a flying strike, unleashed simultaneously, shattered a Crystal Golem.

Even Sasha, as skilled as she was, found it time-consuming to break through a Crystal Golem’s defenses alone.

But with another Sasha, the once impenetrable defense now crumbled with ease.

“Terrifying…”

Tycoon wiped sweat from his brow.

The terror, of course, was Sasha herself.

Robin had been readying arrows for support, but after the first few shots, it was clear they weren’t needed.

“Sasha, whoaaa… she’s unstoppable!”

“Ughhh… My ability’s got no chance to shine here!”

Myuane pouted.

Reynold, holding his shield to guard his allies, spoke.

“Take a good look. That’s our leader.”

“Aahhh!! Sasha is sooo cool!! She’s just too amazing… haaaah!!”

Piasora’s sigh was odd, but everyone ignored it.

Within three minutes, seven Crystal Golems were destroyed.

Sasha turned to her double.

“Thanks for the help.”

“Don’t mention it.”

The double smiled and vanished.

Sasha sheathed her sword and rejoined Reynold and the others.

“It’s done.”

“Sasha, you’re incredible!!”

“Hold on, Piasora. There might still be enemies around.”

“Aawww!”

Sasha peeled Piasora off her, then addressed Cress.

“That [Double]… It’s an amazing ability.”

“Thanks. But there’s a drawback: once something is doubled, it can’t be redoubled for a day. I can double the doubled item, but it doesn’t last long.”

“Hey, hey, can you double food too?”

“I can. Interestingly, once you eat doubled food, it becomes permanent and doesn’t vanish. No idea why, though.”

“That’s… ridiculously handy. We’d love to have you as a full member of the team.”

“Haha…”

But… that wasn’t likely.

This was merely a royal commission to accompany S-class adventurers.

Cress and Myuane were probably destined for one of the Four Great Clans.

“Ugh… I wish I could’ve shown off my abilities more.”

“Haha. My support wasn’t needed much either.”

“My magic wasn’t required at all.”

“Though, I didn’t need to waste any extra healing spells, so that was nice.”

Then Reynold, holding a fragment of a shattered Crystal Golem, spoke.

“Hey, Tycoon. The beast materials are ours, right?”

“Yes, that hasn’t changed.”

“Alright!! Hehe, Crystal Golem shards are high-quality crystals. Selling these to the guild will fetch a good price. Hey, everyone, start gathering them!”

Reynold and the others collected the crystal fragments and stored them in Cress’s item box.

Tycoon exhaled deeply.

“Well… the request is complete. Let’s head back.”

“Wait, Tycoon.”

Sasha stopped him.

Her gaze pointed toward the processing area ahead.

“…Something feels off.”

“Hey, are you serious?”

“Yeah. It’s not a Crystal Golem… it’s breathing, walking at regular intervals… and it knows we’re here.”

“You’ve got to be kidding. Damn… thieves, maybe?”

“I’m going to check.”

Sasha began walking toward the processing area deep in the mine.

“Stay alert, everyone.”

Her voice was even firmer than when facing the Crystal Golems.

◇◇◇◇◇

The Crystal Processing Area.

Specifically, it was a facility for sorting extracted crystals.

The sorting process was referred to as primary processing, hence the name.

It was a vast space, as large as the mining area, with piles of empty boxes and a large building for the sorting process.

Sasha came to a halt.

“So, you came.”

Standing there was a man, older than Sasha and her team.

“You could’ve been satisfied after taking out the guards.”

The man appeared to be in his early twenties.

With dark brown skin, silvery-gray hair, crimson eyes, and two horns protruding from his head, his appearance was striking.

His attire—a suit, vest, and leather shoes—was more suited for a party than a mine.

“I’ll give you credit for sensing me. That girl there is pretty skilled.”

He grinned, pointing at Sasha.

Sasha did not return the smile.

Her companions could feel her intense vigilance.

“Who are you?”

Sasha asked, signaling with her left hand.

The signal meant prepare for combat.

“Me? I’m Crane. Ah… maybe saying ‘demon’ clears it up?”

“Wha… a d-demon!?”

Tycoon was stunned.

Demons.

A race that once waged a war against humanity to determine their existence.

The war was so massive it divided the world.

The conflict ended when a human’s ability split the continent in two.

One half became the Human Realm where Sasha and her team lived; the other, the Demon Realm.

Travel between the realms was deemed impossible.

No land connected them. After the continents split, a raging sea emerged, barring passage. The skies were plagued with constant storms, striking down anything that dared fly.

Tycoon shouted.

“That’s impossible!! Travel between the Human and Demon Realms is forbidden! Ships sink in the sea, and lightning destroys anything in the sky! Those who venture to the forbidden labyrinth Necrofantasia Mountain never even make it there alive!”

“Thanks for the long explanation. True, humans can’t. But demons? We found a way to the Human Realm.”

“Wh… no way.”

“I’m living proof.”

Crane placed a hand on his chest.

Tycoon, sweating and trembling, adjusted his glasses with a shaky hand.

“Dark skin, silvery-gray hair, crimson eyes, and… black horns on the head.”

“Exactly. Glasses guy, you’re sharp. So, you know about demon power too, don’t you?”

“…”

Tycoon turned to the group.

“Sasha… we must retreat.”

“What?”

“Demonic power surpasses that of S-class adventurers. According to texts… in the war that split the continent, humanity gathered every capable fighter. But demons, with only a few thousand, fought them to a standstill.”

“What!?”

“The human army had tens of thousands at the time. That’s how strong demons are individually.”

Crane clapped slowly.

“Glasses guy, you’re impressive. That praise puts me in a good mood. Fine, I’ll let you all go. I only came to collect high-purity crystals, after all.”

Crane shooed them off with a wave of his hand.

But Sasha didn’t budge.

“Answer me one thing. What do you plan to do with those crystals?”

“Nothing major. Magical ships… though you wouldn’t understand. They’re used as core components. We don’t have such high-purity crystals in the Demon Realm.”

“…I see.”

“The Human Realm is a treasure trove of resources. To us demons, it’s a garden of riches. If you don’t interfere, I won’t crush you like bugs. Just go.”

“…Crush us like bugs?”

“Huh? Of course. You humans are pests scurrying over treasure. Normally, you’d just be squashed. But I’m merciful, so I’m letting you off with a shoo. Generosity, you know?”

In the next moment, Sasha’s flying slash shattered the crystal in Crane’s hand.

“…What’s your problem?”

“It’s simple. I’m dealing with a pest… that’s trying to swarm our treasure.”

“Sasha!?”

Tycoon was shocked, but Reynold stepped forward with his shield.

“Tycoon, have you forgotten? This is a royal excavation site. Intruders are executed on sight.”

“Myuane, load up your arrows with explosives.”

“…What a piece of trash. Sasha’s enemy is my enemy. I’ll blow them to bits.”

Robin and Piasora prepared for battle as well.

Tycoon let out a deep sigh and took out his staff.

“…Myuane, it’s time to get serious.”

“Uh, uh… but it’s a demon, right?”

Cress seemed to have steeled himself, while Myuane remained hesitant.

Crane grinned, his expression twisting unpleasantly.

“Ugh, this sucks… today’s outfit is my favorite. Blood’s gonna ruin it.”

“Don’t worry. It’ll only be your blood.”

The battle between Team Sacred and the demon began.