I Picked Up the Hero Who Banished Me - Chapter 29



28 – [Two with the Hero – 13]

“Amazing,”

Silphy murmured, stunned, while I clutched my chest, gritting my teeth.

The Basilisk lay fallen, charred black, and other monsters were losing their lives on the ground, finally losing even their physical bodies.

The Harpies, trapped by the water restraints, couldn’t shake free, and I stumbled in the center.

“Ms. Lois, that’s amazing! Not quite as much as Ms. Olivia, though…”

“Hold on a second!”

“……!”

“Don’t come any closer.”

“Huh?”

“Hah, hah…….”

The speed at which the monsters were approaching dramatically decreased.

I’d been sending out the monsters through mental intrusion, but I didn’t have the leeway for that now.

The hero was being fought, so dealing with this side was relatively slowed. But if I released the villagers from their restraints now, there was no telling what they might do.

In the worst-case scenario, they might harm themselves, or launch a merciless attack towards me.

Therefore, I couldn’t release the spirit integration yet.

My heart was pounding loudly, and flames were erupting from my body.

The instantaneous firepower was certainly strong, but it couldn’t be sustained for long. My body couldn’t handle this power, and if I maintained it for too long, it was a recipe for a rampage.

Even this power I possessed might be nothing compared to the hero’s, but for someone like me, it was a power beyond imagination.

A power that could burn even upper-tier monsters to death.

‘I can’t restrain all those people with my power alone. I have a powerful force, befitting of a half-breed, so I can’t release the spirit integration now. Some power might leak out, but I have no other choice.’

*Whoosh!*

There weren’t any powerful enemies at the basilisk level, but the monsters were still flowing in.

“Sylph! I’m closing the gate now! Hopefully no stronger monsters will come through! And after the gate is closed, please get the villagers inside the buildings!”

“……Ah, yes! Leave it to me!”

*Whoosh!*

I was taking down every single monster that came through, not missing a single one.

The doors were a good distance apart, but it was fine.

They were within my attack range.

This village was under the watch of my spirits, and their positions were shared with me.

So, my attacks wouldn’t miss, and that accuracy was a weapon for a spiritmancer too. For a skilled spiritmancer, you could say there were almost no blind spots.

I was a somewhat special case, that was all, and the distance was just wider for me.

*Flicker.*

“…….”

Flames poured from my chest, and I clutched at it.

*’Hero, if you don’t come quickly, I can’t hold on.’*

*Crack*, my skin ripped open, and flames flickered within.

That fight at East Fort last time, it was the first real battle in so long, so my body probably wasn’t in the best condition.

Compared to before, my limit speed was faster.

I’d have to find a way to concentrate this back inside my body, and that would take time and effort.

The problem was…

‘Whether I liked it or not, it was bound to be discovered.’

Inside me, blood didn’t flow; flames did, and it was like a spirit.

No, it *was* a spirit itself.

Spirit Fusion, that’s what the technique was, but using a technique that shouldn’t be possible… it was only natural I’d bear the strain.

It wasn’t a burden I’d asked for, but telling this story to the Hero was even more of a burden.

I couldn’t imagine what kind of face she’d make.

What would her face look like seeing me, with flames burning inside instead of blood, and what expression would she have when she learned why it happened… I truly couldn’t tell.

Even if I held out until the Hero returned, it would take time to go back to normal.

Like it or not, I’d be found out.

The truth itself isn’t the problem. The problem is, if she found out how this happened, the Hero might get hurt again.

No, is that really true?

-Help me.

“…….”

When I’m in this state, old memories keep resurfacing.

I was only human, so I took a deep breath.

Instead of dwelling on the past, I should focus on the present.

*Whoosh!*

I incinerated the monsters that came rushing in.

And watching flames flicker within my skin, which was cracking apart, I mumbled without thinking.

“This is disgusting.”

*

*Swish!*

*Swish!*

* * *

*SHWANG!!*

Every ring of the bell grates on me.

I was definitely killing them, but even so, the reason it felt so shitty was because I kept thinking of the innocent person who’d been sacrificed for this single life.

Even if they were using people from the Death Cult, life should be respected more, and death should have even more meaning.

I hated the mindset of using someone so easily just because they could be used.

There was a phrase I hated most of all.

Sacrifice the few for the many.

It’s a phrase that sounds reasonable, and it was true in some situations.

But the people who always say that are looking down from a place where they’ll never be the few.

I couldn’t stand the garbage who said that, never imagining themselves as the few.

That phrase is meant to show the nobility of those who become the few, not a phrase to justify the actions of those who survive as the many.

“Stop!! Stop killing them! You senseless beast!”

“Hah.”

It was ridiculous.

They were turning people into magic with the Red Moon Ritual, using magic that made it look like they were playing with lives like voodoo dolls, and *they* were calling *me* a beast?

Sure, I might lack the courage of so many people, and maybe I’m not fit to be a hero.

But I’m not a beast like you.

‘The composure’s gone from their face.’

I’d killed them 32 times.

If they’re focused on the voodoo doll so much, their actual power might not be anything special.

They say he dedicated his entire life to increasing the upper limit of his clones, which would explain the sheer number of them, but honestly, other than the voodoo-doll clones, they weren’t all that special.

Lois or Sylphy would probably be stronger.

But the endless respawning is a pain in the ass.

‘Wait, hold on.’

It’s true I need to finish this quickly, but figuring out his objective was important too.

Judging by the looks of him, he doesn’t have much time left anyway.

If I’m lucky, this will be his last life.

I pointed my wooden sword at him and said,

“Just one question.”

“Finally decided to talk? You barbarian.”

“Watch your mouth. I’m nice to people. To *people*.”

“Heh, so I’m not even a person?”

“Do I have any reason to treat someone who plays with other people’s lives like they’re toys as a person? Wanna confess your sins with tears streaming down your face? Then I’ll gladly cut your head off.”

“Aren’t you supposed to let me live then?”

I felt my gaze grow even colder. The Reaper cult leader trembled.

The lives you took cannot be repaid with your single life.

Whatever your circumstances are, they have nothing to do with the people you killed.

Even if this was revenge for something, you’ve already crossed the line.

You’re nothing more than a villain who’s gone past the point of no return.

‘Should I just kill him?’

But, there was something that bothered me.

“Why the hell did you use mind erosion? If you’re going to devour them like this, you could’ve just used mind control, right?”

“Denying it.”

“Huh?”

“It’s filthy! How could you eat someone who isn’t a follower of the Death God? So they become faithful followers of the Death God…”

“Ah, okay.”

*SLASH*!!

I cut him down without a word.

“I’m not curious anymore. I thought, you know, maybe there was some massive secret hiding behind it all.”

I had thought that if this didn’t end here and continued with some other machination, it might not end as just some bothersome thing, but listening to him, it just seemed like the Death God cult was doing their Death God cult thing again.

The actions of those fiends were enough to make you wince just by looking at them.

A being that lives on the sacrifice and blood of humans.

There’s no pest more pestilent than this.

“Heh, heh heh!!”

‘Huh?’

As I was about to slice him again, the Death God cult leader laughed.

He clapped his hands together and shouted.

“Even like this, I was known as one of the nicest guys in the Death God cult!! To make someone like me angry! You have a wonderful personality!”

I laughed as if it was absurd.

Or rather, I scoffed.

“Those pest b*stards were going around bragging about being better pest b*stards? How kingly of a pest.”

“Shut your mouth! You ignorant fools who don’t even know the truth of our Death God Church…!”

KABOOM!!

Magic power surged greatly.

I killed the Death God Church leader we fought last time right away, but this leader, is he using some kind of special technique?

I became somewhat defensive, wary.

As Royce warned, I wasn’t in proper condition now, so depending on the situation, it could be dangerous.

“Hand of the Death God.”

“……!”

THOOMP!

I couldn’t see it.

CRACK!

With the sound of my wooden sword breaking, I was sent flying backwards, and when I came to my senses, I was slammed against a tree. The impact had broken the tree, and it was falling to the side, while I just stared at my broken wooden sword.

Blood was trickling from the corner of my mouth.

Did something rupture on the inside?

Royce is gonna scold me.

But that just now, that wasn’t just a person’s strength.

The black, swirling energy, I couldn’t imagine it to be a person’s magic power, but it also felt out of place to call it the magic power of a demon.

“Heheheh! Hahahaha!! Amazing! This is the power of the Death God! I finally…!!”

Power of the Death God?

So, that’s the power of the Reaper, huh?

Hmm.

Whatever.

‘If I pull it out, they’ll know I’m the Hero. But it’s okay.’

Just kill them for sure.

Dead men tell no tales, and once they’re gone to the Reaper’s side, there’s no way they can do anything, right?

I pulled the holy sword from my back.

“W-wait, that sword…”

The Reaper Cult leader’s eyes widened, seeing a blade that wasn’t a wooden practice sword.

*Thwung!*

I lunged forward.

“A Holy Sword!!”

Something moved, squirming.

*Swish!*

I sliced through empty space, but there was definitely the sensation of cutting something.

Is the Reaper’s hand also able to turn things invisible?

Not just that, it was seriously powerful. You could honestly call it the power of a god.

“You’re wielding the Holy Sword, you… could it be!! ….Damn!”

The Reaper Cult leader’s eyes flashed with terror for a moment as he looked at me, now right in front of him.

So he’s actually capable of feeling fear.

“You say you’re just a normal person who hates death.”

Why.

You people.

Every time.

Don’t you realize that fear is something others feel too?

*Swish!!*

*CRASH!!*

“That’s why I can’t stand your Reaper Cult, not one bit.”

Along with the spellwork on the ground, I cleaved the cult leader in two.

“Y-you crazy! That damned b*stard!! Why is the Hero here! Why, in a place like this…!!”

“…….”

He crawled obscenely on the ground, then let out a ragged breath.

*Squish.*

I lightly slit his throat again.

If I don’t confirm the kill, there are more than a few b*stards who pretend to be dead with some weird magic.

Even monsters use such magic.

“Where…”

From noble mtl dot com

I looked up at the sky; the red color was gone, and I surveyed my surroundings.

Was that a bit much?

But compared to people’s lives, wasn’t it a cheap price?

Ugh, feels like I got chewed out for breaking stuff like this before.

‘I still don’t really get the limit, from my perspective I broke the minimum.’

I sheathed the holy sword again, and then immediately looked at the Death God’s cult leader.

Grabbing the corpse, I moved it.

“Let’s head back for now.”

I needed to tell them this guy did it, so better to take the corpse with me.