CHAPTER. 162: THE HERO OF HUMANITY (PART 4)

Move, the Hero of humans told himself.

All of his muscles trembled, as if held by an invisible force.

Move!

His mind whirled, dozens of thoughts passing through as he forced himself to try to do anything. He even tried to chant skills in his mind but they were rendered completely ineffective. His mana was frozen, his everything was frozen. He didn’t understand it. He couldn’t understand it.

With just a single skill the Heroine of Frost had done this to him? Even though she was SS Tier?! No, she clearly was corrupted in some way, but even then he should be able to fight an SSS Tier being no problem. So, what was the issue? No, none of that mattered.

Instead, his mind focused on the situation at hand, and the world slowed down as he saw the spear heading for him. Now, more than ever, he noticed the spear that she wielded. That thing⁠ was not normal, and if it struck him it was going to put him in critical condition; and since he couldn’t use skills he may actually die from it.

Which is why, his mind blared as he screamed, feeling nothing but fear.

Fucking move!

If he could’ve done anything, he would’ve screamed out his skill but he couldn’t. So all he did, all he tried for was to cast his skill in his mind all while urging himself to⁠—

MOVE!

But unfortunately, it was useless as the spear went right through his heart. The control finally returned to his body as he collapsed on the ground, except⁠— even now, his mana was… frozen.

“You are merely a fake SSS Tier,” she said simply. “As fake as the keeper of order.”

“The keeper of order?” he grunted, grabbing his chest. For some reason, he wasn’t bleeding out as he expected, instead it was as if his wound was stopped in time. “You think you can rival him?”

She smiled. “All I know is that I want to make him pay for sending me to that hell. Maybe I’ll drag him to see the real Hero of Arlas, he seemed quite pissed when he learned about his existence after all.”

“What are you saying!?”

The keeper of order was the Hero of Arlas. He had heard her say that before but this time he fully registered it, and he truly didn’t understand what she was talking about⁠. That said, it didn’t matter. All he knew is that right now he had to⁠— run.

The Hero of Humans bolted away, crossing a hundred meters in an instant, while his mana was gone his skills remained active including [Flash Speed], so he was going to use it to retrieve and⁠—

“It seems you don’t understand,” the heroine’s voice resounded as he felt a sharp pain. “You can’t run either.”

He tripped, losing his footing and rolled across the ground, before finally hitting a tree with a loud explosion. What happened⁠— and he screamed as the pain got worse than before. Then when he opened his eyes he saw it⁠—

Both of his legs were missing.

Then, after a beat, the Heroine of Frost appeared before him. “So, with that out of the way, how about we continue your execution, eh?” she asked.

Then, she⁠— swung, taking away one of his hands as he realized a truth.

If he didn’t escape this, only one thing awaited him:

Death.

Because the Heroine of Frost was a monster.

* * *

Ceylon awoke screaming—

“Arc?!”

But what she saw was the ceiling of her castle as she blinked. Last thing she remembered was defending Malz from the Hero of Humans, and almost dying. She remembered losing her…

Ceylon flinched in pain as she looked at her intact extremity.

… arm.

Had that been a dream that never happened? No, that couldn’t be, it simply couldn’t⁠—

“Ah, I’m so glad you’re fine…”

A sweet voice called to her and Ceylon turned only to see an unfamiliar girl. She looked younger than her and had a deep violet hair that was cut short. Her clothes seemed rather casual, and her presence was too, and yet⁠ Ceylon was acutely aware that there was more to her than what met the eye.

The girl let out a deep breath. “Y-You know, I was so scared that you and Malz would die. After all, what would I tell Arc?”

Ceylon blinked, hearing the girl’s words before it finally settled in on her. What happened was real.

Arc was back.

“What’s your name?” Ceylon asked immediately.

At that the girl tensed. “L-Lily.”

At that, Ceylon made her decision. Given Lily’s words there was only one obvious reasoning to draw; Lily was friends with Arc, and more than anything, she knew where Arc was at this moment.

“Please take me to Arc, Lily, I’m begging you!”

At that, the violet haired girl stuttered, “E-Eh, I-I don’t⁠—”

“It’s not a good idea,” a sharp voice cut off.

Ceylon and Lily turned only to tense, and Lily immediately raised her hands as something powerful began to gather. For it was none other than the Heroine of Water who was leaning against a wall with her arms crossed.

“Relax,” the heroine said. “I care not to kill any of you anymore.”

“Why are you here?” Lily asked, practically growling. “I’ll have you know that I⁠—”

“I don’t intend to fight, Dragon of Taboo.” The Heroine sighed. “I’m just here to take shelter, because I am… afraid of what I saw.”

At that last part, the heroine seemed hesitant but she still voiced it out, and Ceylon was now more confused than ever. Ignoring her surprise about Lily’s identity, the Heroine of Water was… afraid? As if sensing her confusion, she continued.

“Arc is currently fighting an empowered Hero of Humans, and not only is she winning but she is…” the heroine closed her eyes. “Torturing him.”

“Oh…”

Ceylon remembered Arc’s reaction and… she wasn’t surprised. That said, she wasn’t going to advocate for that…

“Then I don’t see why I shouldn’t stop her,” Ceylon said.

“It’s not a good idea because you got a whole city to manage, after all⁠— there is mass hysteria due to our fight and Arc’s fight with the Hero of Humans,” the Heroine of Water explained plainly. “So you may want to deal with that. Plus it’s also probably not safe to be around two SSS Tier existences in the middle of a fight.”

And Ceylon paused, slowly nodding. While she disliked agreeing with the Heroine of Water, she also wasn’t stupid.

So she turned and the first thing she spotted was a still fainted Malz, meaning she was alone or… was she? Lily was present.

“Lily, do you think you could… assist me with a few things?”

At that, the dragon tensed but hesitantly nodded. “I can try… I think…”

“I’m willing to help too,” the Heroine of Water added.

Ceylon blinked, but in the end, she didn’t want to question the heroine, instead she simply distributed her plan of action.

* * *

I wasn’t the most callous person out there, nor did I consider myself as such. In fact, even though I was acutely aware of the fact that I was far away from normal, I never quite considered myself something like a monster.

All the heroes I killed in the past were out of self interest or because they were a danger to me or my companions. And right now, this situation was no different. The Hero of Humans had almost killed Ceylon, and that was enough for me. More than enough; except he also was going to kill Malz.

And even now, he had continued to threaten my friends, and at this point, I had most certainly turned into what I would consider a monster. I was beyond pissed. Maybe it was because of my experiences in the Forgotten Places, because of the fact that I had struggled so much to leave in order to return to Ceylon, only to barely arrive in time to save her. But I was seething.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Some asshole, almost ruined the life I had yearned to return to? I understood that Ceylon would be gone one day, but right now, when I had nothing. When I had little to anything attaching me to this damned world. It was something that angered me beyond belief. No, it was more than just anger⁠— it was hatred.

“You dare try to destroy everything dear to me, huh?!” I kicked, breaking his bones as he hit a tree. “After I spent months in that accursed place, after I almost lost several limbs permanently, and after I almost got corrupted?!”

I stabbed with my spear, gritting my teeth as the Hero of Humans screamed. I didn’t know what I was doing. Part of me wanted to torture him, but part of me also wanted to just end his life. I didn’t want to become a monster, but at the same time…

“You. Piece. Of. Shit!”

I flung him across the landscape, sending him flying as I breathed heavily. I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know how to get rid of the anger I felt. But at least, I knew I wanted him to endure the pain that Ceylon went through, so that’s what I focused on.

I appeared before the Hero of Humans as he grunted, hitting a mountain. Then, I raised my spear as his limbs regenerated, though he was glaring daggers at me, and for good reason.

“What are you?”

“It doesn’t matter what I am, all that matters is that you made a terrible mistake,” I said grimly as I raised my spear and severed his arm again. “And I intend to make you pay for it. I do not know what pain Ceylon went through, but rather than torture you, I’ll make sure you lose one thing.”

I met his gaze as his eyes seemed to tremble in horror.

“Hope. Just like you did to her.”

My words hung in the air before I allowed him to use mana again. I was no tyrant, and I wasn’t going to torture him, not anymore. Instead, I was going to simply kill him, all while he did his best to try to survive. Just like what he did to Ceylon.

* * *

The Hero of Humans knew that this was his opportunity, that this was his chance to do one thing. And that was to:

Escape.

It seemed that even now the Heroine of Frost underestimated him. She should’ve killed him while she was able to freeze his skills, but instead her ability had run out. And while it would have normally been something that upsetted him, this time it was something closer to a blessing. Because if he escaped then that meant he could ask for the keeper of order’s help to deal with this anomaly.

The anomaly that was Arc the Heroine of Frost.

That said, it seemed that escaping was going to be more than just difficult, but thankfully, he was no stranger to escapes. He raised the Scepter of Past Visions. Unlike before, he could now access the power of heroes he had never met. The power of heroes that had long existed before him.

Such as the power of the Hero of Barriers⁠—

“[Great God of Protection. Save me]!”

He called out and a translucent barrier appeared to block a flying ice spear. In an instant, it hit and⁠ the barrier⁠— shattered. It exploded into thousands of pieces as the spear evaporated, but it was enough time bought for him, to use one of his own personal skills. It was a simple skill, but one he had used once to save his life.

It had a simple function, to teleport to any human within a certain radius, and with it, he could make his perfect escape and get away from Arc for as long as possible. After all, even if she was this strong, few heroes had the means to teleport long distances, and he seriously doubted Arc was one of them.

He grinned as touched his chest. “[Retreat of Humanity].”

And⁠ nothing happened.

The Hero of Humans blinked as Arc appeared and punched him in the face, breaking his jaw and sending him crashing against the ground with a loud explosion. He immediately recovered as he healed himself with one of his skills, but he was aghast.

“What?”

“You thought I’d just give you an easy way out?” she sneered as she appeared, swinging a spear of ice. “Of course, the fuck not.”

The spear was blocked by a barrier as the Hero of Humans gritted his teeth. “What are you talking about⁠—”

And she flicked him away with a deadly strike before continuing, “I’m saying that the only reason you can use skills is because I'm allowing you to.”

His mind reeled for a moment before he scoffed. “That is impossible, you can’t do that on command!”

He raised the Scepter of Past Visions and took his chance.

“[Great Teleportation⁠ of⁠—]” And he paused, feeling no mana flowing through his skill. “You…”

“You were saying?” Arc appeared before him and⁠— stabbed.

His stomach was ruptured open as he spat a mouthful of blood. He wanted to deny her ability, but at this point it was a fact of the world. Arc was a monster. Whatever had happened in the Forgotten Places had changed her in an inconceivable way.

Does this mean that only he is her opponent? He stared down with wide eyes. That I’m completely powerless before her?

Me?

He couldn’t believe it. He was the Hero of Humans. He was the chosen one to protect the entirety of humanity, and his powers allowed him to borrow from humanity in order to do so. He was undoubtedly the strongest hero or almost the strongest. There only existed one hero with a title stronger than him, and that was the Hero of Arlas. The hero chosen to protect this world.

And yet, the heroine of damn frost was stronger than him?

In such a way that I cannot do anything about it?

No. He couldn’t believe it. His mind couldn’t process it. She was so overwhelmingly strong that he couldn’t even escape from her?

No.

That wasn’t possible.

It couldn’t be possible.

It simply was impossibility.

It was⁠—

“BULLSHIT!” he screamed as he raised his scepter. “[My life, My Soul, My Spirit; Burn For Me]!”

In an instant, he felt an uncomprehending deep pain that took away his lifespan and his strength increased. He was no fool, he couldn’t fight her, but to think he couldn’t run either? No, nobody had that power over him.

“Do not look down on me!” The Hero of Humans pointed his scepter at the heroine, who still was before him, with her spear in his stomach. “[World Slash]!”

The Heroine of Frost teleported to dodge his attack, but it didn’t matter. He dashed away and the Heroine of Frost appeared before him, and he simply smiled as blood⁠— splattered. She stumbled back, missing a large part of her body; this was his chance, his chance to escape.

[God Step].

With that, even he would take some time to recover. So he used the chance to combo his skills in order to run. He took a deep breath. Now⁠— His face was kicked and he fell back, his nose broken.

What?

Someone dared to interfere with him now? The Hero of Humans felt incredible anger as he opened his eyes and saw none other than the very same heroine he had almost cut in half. But she was no longer bleeding, instead part of her shoulder was white, like a birthmark, except…

It was made out of ice.

She had encased her entire injury with ice.

“Impossible…”

There was no way she could recover so fast. There was simply… no way.

“That’s impossible⁠!” He bit his tongue before deciding to just go for it. “[Singularity]!”

It was a skill that placed great strain in his body, but it didn’t matter. The Hero of Humans chuckled as the grass at his feet began to disintegrate.

“I want to see you freeze that,” he said, chuckling as his nose began to bleed.

In response the woman raised an eyebrow and⁠— jabbed her hand forward, holding him by the neck, all while reality began to fall apart. Even the ice holding the wound together of the heroine began to flake, and soon, the world began to distort.

Not even you can deal with this.

When the skill went off, he would run. The Hero of Humans smiled with glee and the world began to contract into itself. Then, in a moment, it burst.

Everything exploded.

The world turned white as the Hero of Humans tried to make his escape only to be unable to move. Then it ended as he panted, and saw the Heroine of Frost looking at him, still holding his neck. She seemed injured, but not nearly as much as he would’ve expected. In fact, it should’ve killed her.

How?

The Hero of Humans couldn’t understand it. Did that mean she could take everything he would throw at her? No, that simply wasn’t possible.

He gritted his teeth. “[World⁠—]”

“Enough,” she said as his mana was frozen. “You are the strongest hero I’ve met, but unfortunately, it seems that you aren’t strong enough.”

The Hero of Humans blinked, and he stared at the heroine who let out a tired sigh.

“Honestly, I really wish you never attacked Ceylon, but it doesn’t matter now. While I’m tired of killing, it doesn’t mean I can spare you,” she said simply before frowning. “After all, you almost killed her.”

With those words, her expression changed, remembering her anger and the Hero of Humans realized that this was the end. That she was done playing with her food. And now, he was going to die, with no possibility of escape.

Was this his end?

So much to die like this? Because I attacked a girl that got in my way?

He closed his eyes as the heroine raised her spear, pointing it at his head. Right now, he couldn’t even move. His whole body was frozen. He was being held by the neck like an animal that was about to be put down, and while he felt a myriad of emotions at this moment, there was one that was more present than any other one.

Regret.

He remembered his life and the good moments.

“He’s such a brilliant child, is he not?” a woman asked his mother.

“But of course! My boy will be a genius!” his mother exclaimed.

And he, as a child, smiled knowing he would accomplish great things.

He remembered the bad moments.

“What?” he asked, his lips trembling.

“Sophia, your fiancée, has been attacked, she doesn’t have much time left. So come.”

He rushed to the hospital, but by the time he made it, she had passed on. The love of his life was no longer in this world.

And even the most terrible moments.

He cried after the funeral, and just when he was about to take his life, the world changed. He found himself in complete darkness as a window flashed before him.

[ Blake. You have been chosen as a Hero by The System due to your talents. You have been summoned to Arlas in order to maintain the world and purge the corruption̸̨͈̜̦̼̙͙̿̏.

You are currently undergoing training. ]

The Hero of Humans remembered it all, from the name he had long shed, to what drove him to live a long time ago, and he realized how much of his life had been wasted. How selfish he had become, and how despicable he had become. And while he had the power to change things, he didn’t, and now, it was too late.

Yet, even now, he didn’t want to die.

His eyes opened as he saw the spear, and he cried, “No!”

But she swung the spear.

“Goodbye, asshole⁠.”

He closed his eyes shut, and a metallic clink resounded, but nothing else happened.

“And another asshole shows up, great,” the Heroine of Frost growled.

The Hero of Humans blinked, realizing he had been saved. The question was…

Who?

And a moment later, he saw it. A man in red armor was holding the heroine’s spear shaft, stopping it from impaling his head. He had a long cape and a helmet with horns. And he was locking eyes with the heroine that was glaring daggers at him.

“Long time no see, Arc.”

It was the Hero of Arlas.

And he was here to save him.