Winter's Descent on Steel
Winter fell upon the steel. Not even a speck of dust stirred. The surroundings were already so ravaged by the battle's aftermath—carved away and riddled with holes—that further collapse wouldn't have been surprising. Sections sliced by lasers had caved in, rendering the floors meaningless as gusts of wind made the skyscraper sway perilously, trembling on the brink.
"Hah... hah..."
A purple-haired dwarf with a pallid face clutched her chest, gasping raggedly. Sprawled on the ground, she crawled forward, exhaling a sigh of relief at having barely escaped with her life via spatial leap. But in the same breath, her terror-soaked eyes welled with tears as she screamed.
"You fucking maniac!! Were you seriously trying to kill me?! Have you lost your damn mind?! Just because I'm a Maou candidate?! Is that why you're coming at me with everything you've got...!"
The confidence that she would win had vanished entirely. Now Rasera gnashed her teeth, tears streaming down her face as she stewed in frustration and rage. The hero, whose throat had nearly been severed by the canceled Bopal Weapon—leaving a shallow gash trickling blood—stood with one ear, locks of hair, and part of his shoulder engulfed in darkness, charred black and sliced away. His expressionless gaze fixed on Rasera.
She had fled. Her countermeasures against the hero's phantasmal army had been perfect, but in the end, she couldn't conquer her fear. She chose to run from that spot, and the Maou's targeted strike missed, slicing harmlessly through empty air.
Even the glancing blow had been deadly. Half his ear was gone, and only after time passed did the blood begin to drip steadily. With the warning that [Catastrophe] approaches, cracks spiderwebbed across the teetering floor, threatening imminent collapse.
"You came at me to kill, but you weren't prepared to die yourself?"
Rasera flinched at my cold, contemptuous glare, raising her two remaining mechanical tentacles and baring her teeth in a snarl.
"You take lives without a second thought, but you're scared of dying?"
My hair stood on end as mana blazed like fire around me. My heart pounded wildly, blood rushing to my head in a surge of fury. My face twisted as I glared at the "Maou candidate" and clenched my fist.
"What the hell do you think a hero is...?"
Even if I was resented for not saving someone, dismissed as naive by the world—even if the world took no one's side—I would live the life I wanted, uphold my beliefs, and forge my own path. The other summoned heroes of the past had possessed that same will, conviction, and unyielding spirit. They faced greater calamities without breaking, paving the way for this era.
They weren't swayed by others' words. Even if deemed reckless or foolish, they pressed on, proclaiming their justice. Even against stronger foes, they never retreated. Everyone desperately strives in their lives—those efforts, those living beings, each hold their own value. I despise those who trample it carelessly.
I hate those who scorn peace and devalue life. In the moment of death, I had no regrets about living—I saved a child from being hit by a car. I've never regretted the choices I've made in life, nor swallowed my words. Even betrayed, unacknowledged by anyone, ignoring others' gazes, I've lived kindly.
Helping others, showing consideration, even if kindness isn't returned. Even now, after death, tasked by the goddess as a hero. Crushed by the weight and doubt of "why me?"—no matter how arduous the path, I chose to shoulder the mission. Even if no one recognizes me as a hero, I will see my convictions through.
But what the hell is this?
"You monster...!"
Why are you looking at me like that? Revulsion boiled up. I gripped my sword and charged.
Boom—
Something crashed down from above, shattering the floor. Hands Collector snatched the falling Rasera, pulling her back to create distance. Riko was right behind me, etching runes onto my back—overlapping ones to forcibly boost my physical abilities and defense. "The recoil will be intense, but please endure," she said without asking permission. She must have sensed my seething hostility and known I wouldn't listen if she suggested retreat.
The overwhelming presence of a top-tier species devoured the air.
"Heh... you've gotten ridiculously stronger in that short time... This'll be fun...!"
"Fun...? You think killing people is fun?"
Hands Collector sneered at my icy retort and stomped the ground. As Rasera's tentacles fired lasers, Invisible Touch seized the spinning Bopal Weapon at high speed, deflecting them. Simultaneously, she blurred, appearing behind me with a giggle.
"The expressions on faces when their arms get severed or they're about to die? Pure bliss."
Sleeves fluttered as arms emerged. Three sword-wielding arms unleashed entirely different skills in overlapping trajectories, demonstrating swordsmanship. I dodged the Gazer's Eye beam from one eye by turning my head, leaped while extending a beast's hand from my opposite side to grab and halt her shadow, then gathered mana in my staff-wielding hand to fire a spell at her.
——She only used recorded skills from the arms' original owners. She controlled the arm types and their skills. Even now, as she drew new arms and slightly shifted trajectory, only two followed. The others stabbed empty air.
A glowing tyrannosaurus manifested head-on, jaws wide, lunging at her. It exploded and eroded under her magic, but the wall of endless luminous dinosaurs meant nothing without overwhelming firepower. In an instant, the room filled with the horde, blocking vision. Amid the scorching heat, a laser beam swept toward my position—but I'd long since carved the unmoving shadow into the floor, seized the summoned magic circle in midair, flipped my body, and leaped.
Riko blasted a curse rune at the arm gripping my shadow, shaking it free. "Gigantomachia!"
A pitch-black golem spewed lightning, extending a massive arm from the rift. Its wrist hatch opened, unleashing high-heat black flames. The scattered flames melted the luminous dinosaurs literally. But it didn't stop—the lightning-clutched hand poised to hurl bolts at me.
Did she summon the golem out of fear, unable to punch in her boxing stance? I pulled a potion from my belt, chugged it demonstratively, and tossed the vial aside. I dropped the Bopal Weapon to the floor, gripped the spirit sword in my other hand, and manifested a magic circle on my wrist.
As if an arm were caught in the circle, my left arm glowed fluorescent, shining brilliantly. Touching a luminous dinosaur disintegrated it into dust with a poof! The eerie sight of massive dinosaurs vanishing on contact with the fluorescent arm. As my hand shifted to green fluorescence toward Hands Collector, she anticipated it and thrust out Circe's arm.
As if knowing I wanted it back, she taunted me to try, while her opposite hand drew a monstrous arm dripping liquids to swing—but thwack, Circe's arm snatched it.
She'd been tricked. My "magic circle" and "fluorescent material" were mere theatrics using Recycle to decompose the dinosaurs. She mistook it for a skill that erased anything it touched. Given my myriad skills, it was her wisest snap judgment—forcing an either-or.
I yanked Circe's arm, seized her opposite shoulder, jammed fingers in, and twisted. With a crunch, her right arm dislocated and dangled limply. That was her sign: ambushed shoulders rendering her unable to wield arms, then subdued by adventurers.
Riko's thorough investigation had exposed how she was captured and her tricks. Even with more patterns, without fixing her "chronic weakness," it meant nothing. Her arms' varied skills were threats, but their mobility stemmed from her own capabilities, starting from the shoulders.
Shwick—!
Invisible Touch gripped the tossed spirit sword and severed Circe's arm from the shoulder. Cutting at the shoulder wouldn't stop her skill. I flung the arm aside; Riko dove to catch it, mounted her broom, and flew up, pressuring Rasera with mana orbs.
The golem behind her finally breached the dinosaur wall, its exposed upper body's armament priming to fire—but
"Divine Shield!!"
A holy barrier nullified the attack. The dullahan, holding her own head, swung her mace to bat away the giant arm.
"Gods, grant your blessing to the hero!"
Light cascaded over me with her cry. Mortis, who had charged toward the skyscraper on the way up, finally joined, teaming with Riko to push Rasera.
Any moment, Maou's Dark Annihilation Hell Orb could fly. But she wouldn't. Already gripped by terror from Outer God Phantasm, she could barely perceive anyone but me. Firing lasers wildly without proper orders, she'd lost judgment.
"Ha—! Not bad!"
Replacing her severed arm with a priest's for buffs, she forcibly reset her dislocated shoulder and spread wings. Hands clasped from both shoulders, hundreds of arms emerged, attempting hundreds of simultaneous skills.
"So?"
Leaving an afterimage, I slipped behind Hands Collector and asked. Mimicking her deliberate step perfectly, I occupied her rear. As her shocked eyes turned, I kneed her waist. As she staggered, my fury turned steel-hard fist smashed her face, pulverizing her nose.
With her raging mana aura, the elbow I'd touched exploded—boom. Using Deadly Queen's acceleration, I hammered her face. I pinned her foot with Wall Walk, fixing it to the floor to prevent escape. A larger secondary blast followed, striking her head again.
"I asked if it's fun—!!"
Blazing eyes, lightning crackling from enhanced mana-infused body. Without respite, Invisible Touch-gripped spirit sword unleashed furious combos, pummeling her body until her lungs burned empty.
I won't stop beating you until you're dead! Killing the coachman without reason, severing arms to spawn monsters that slew countless— I wasn't angry at attempts on my life just because I'm the hero.
But lives taken "for fun"? My rage wouldn't subside. Teeth grinding audibly amid the barrage of blows, the battered Hands Collector spewed blood and flew back. The floor cracked beyond endurance, collapsing and denying me the killing blow.
"Haaah—!!"
She distanced herself, blood pouring from her face, laughing deliriously.
"It's fun!! Absolutely thrilling!!!"
As I reached for another potion, her thief's arm from her sleeve swept the air, snatching the vial from my belt.
"Gotta dope equally for fairness, right?!"
She gulped it gleefully, face flushing crimson as she shrieked.
"Kyaaah!! What the hell... it's an aphrodisiac, you psycho!!"
Yes, an aphrodisiac—to draw out Spirit Sword Yokoshima's anguish. Body arousal mixed with my intense fury, rage boiling beyond reason. Mortis and Riko's blessings, heart pounding fit to burst, mana cycling wildly.
Transformed via Small Polymorph into a top-tier species, I stepped forward, long afterimage trailing as I closed on Hands Collector. No match for Archfiend Succubus Lord's boost, but S-rank-equivalent stats surged. Spirit swords in both hands hacked her, severing arms.
No matter how many regrew to counter with swordplay, crimson bamboo sprouted from her heart, impaling Hands Collector and slamming her into the wall.
"Keh...!"
Ignoring her thrashing—mindless from the aphrodisiac—I charged to behead Rasera.
"Hero, that's enough."
A downward slash grazed my back. Blood sprayed as Catastrophe bore down. The golem arm swatted me back. Mortis apologized—"I'm sorry it hit you!"—but it wasn't her fault.
Hot blood soaked the floor, my cooling head. My swung sword reflected in a mirror, slicing my own back. A robed giant emerged behind Rasera.
"...Unbelievable power... Far beyond expectations... As expected of the fifth—"
"Sixth."
I snarled murderous intent at the giant muttering as if he knew heroes. Blood trickled from my brow into my eyes, but I glared unflinchingly. Rasera shrank back. Sensing her deducing the reflection principle, the giant conjured a massive portal and hurled her behind him.
"...No matter what we do... the hero always gets entangled, like fate itself..."
Hot, overheated breath escaped his mouth. Panting raggedly, bleeding profusely, body spent from exertion and transformation—heart near explosion—I ignored the pain, raised Bopal Weapon and spirit sword, glaring ready to fight. The giant chose retreat.
"...Ideally, we never meet again... Hero, 'we' aren't ready to fight you yet."
Not that I wasn't ready, but they had no chance. With meaningful tone, the robed giant recalled Hands Collector via portal. He melted into the skyscraper's glass shards on the floor and vanished.
"Are you alright?!"
Mortis and Riko rushed over as things calmed. But Radamu gave no reply.
"...He passed out standing..."
Eyes wide, felled by excessive recoil. Radamu, consciousness gone while upright, finally collapsed into support.
"...We have much to discuss."
At the ruined skyscraper's heart. Dodging approaching dwarves, Mortis handed Radamu to Riko at her request and approached the dwarves for cleanup.
Snow fell over the Kingdom of Steel's collapsed skyscraper. Cooling Talos's flames, embracing it in white. The snow, dyeing darkness pure, gently blanketed the hero's blackened shoulder in pristine white.