Hero's Lust (1)
I saw the hero collapse, utterly spent.
The one who had saved Ye's faithful subjects—and even Ye herself.
The one I had paired with Karura as her mate.
"Urk...!"
I tried to approach him, but the chains binding my arms and legs held me back.
He had used divinity.
Probably the divinity borrowed from Ammut.
If so, then he had clearly passed Ammut's trial—just like me, in our battered states, Ammut had chosen him as the hero to lend her final strength to.
I couldn't just stand by and watch such a man die here, right before my eyes.
"Anyone... is anyone there?!"
The damned cultists had struck down Ye's subjects when they invaded, but fortunately, they were still breathing—yet no matter how I called, no one responded.
"Anyone...!"
Still, I shouted.
If things continued like this, he would die.
No matter how fallen Ye had become, no matter if Ye was but a half-being, divinity was far too vast a power for a mere mortal to wield.
For him, who had struggled even with a single diluted 'eye,' his vessel must have been torn to shreds by now.
There wasn't much time left.
"Anyone...!"
Crack, crunch—as I strained against the chains, wrenching my shoulder out of its socket just to get a little closer, just to call for anyone—
"Pharaoh...! Where is he—"
"Karura...!"
Then she entered: Karura, one of her wings completely burned away.
I couldn't even imagine her pain. I knew how dearly she cherished the wings inherited from her father and mother. How shocked she must have been when she was struck by the curse spewed forth as the bone dragon exploded and plummeted.
That moment of carelessness had led to us being bound in these chains.
But that wasn't important now.
I desperately wanted to comfort her, but more urgently, I cried out.
"Karura! Bring that man—the hero—here...!"
"...Ah, aaa...!"
At my shout, she finally realized the bloodied, crumpled figure lying there was the man she loved—her face drained pale as she let out a groan.
I understood her feelings, but there was no time for that.
"Hurry...!"
"Y-yes, Pharaoh...!"
Karura carefully scooped up the hero and brought him over, staggering herself from the pain she was still enduring. Yet even in her state, she worried more about him, groaning whenever she shook.
"Ph-Pharaoh. Is he... is he alright?"
She set the hero before Ye and asked, but instead of answering, I first reached out and placed my hand on his chest.
Thump, thump.
Thump, thump...
His heart was still beating—for now.
But I could feel the beats growing weaker.
Even peering through Ye's numen spread deep into the hero's body, it was the same.
As I suspected, his vessel had been completely shredded by the divinity.
Life was leaking out through the cracks in the torn and shattered vessel.
No healing spell Ye possessed could mend such a fatal wound.
Yes.
With healing spells, no.
"Karura...! Cut off Ye's arms and legs!"
"Pardon? P-Pardon?"
"Hurry...! There's no time!"
Startled by Ye's command, Karura squeezed her eyes shut and raised her sword.
"I obey the Pharaoh's command...!"
Slash—Karura, at the level of great warrior, met no resistance from Ye. Thus, Ye's limbs were severed with ease.
A stinging pain surged as parts of my body were lopped off, but thanks to that, I was freed from the chains that had bound Ye's divinity.
"Place Ye atop the hero!"
With no strength left even to regenerate my limbs, I asked Karura to move my body for me.
"Yes, Pharaoh...!"
Karura lifted Ye and placed her atop the hero.
"I apologize in advance, Karura."
"...Pardon?"
Karura looked at Ye as if wondering what that meant, but ignoring her gaze, praying it wasn't too late, I pressed my lips to the hero's.
Salty.
'They say first kisses are sweet.'
But Ye's kiss carried only the metallic tang of blood.
The scent of death.
A scent all too familiar, all too familiar.
'I won't let you die. Hero, you cannot perish here.'
I felt Ye's diligent subjects swiftly tending to the wounded now that the crisis had passed.
No more need to expend divinity to preserve those children's lives.
Thus, I reclaimed it all.
'Ammut. Can you hear me?'
Using the divinity breathed through my lips, I awakened Ammut, who had fallen dormant within the hero's body.
'I hear you, my master.'
'Good, you're still alive.'
'I am the body belonging to you—as long as you live, or I do not eternally perish, I am immortal.'
'I know. So I must ask a sorry favor of you.'
'Speak, my master.'
Hundreds of years.
It had been hundreds of years since I took in the divine beast who had awaited oblivion alone in the heavens.
Our bond began poorly, as enemies, but now, to my soul's perfect match, I gave my final command.
'Save this man. Ye will replenish whatever divinity you lack.'
'My master.'
Ammut responded to Ye's order.
'No need for replenishment. I, Ammut who judges by death, shall gladly offer myself for the hero who kept his promise to protect my master.'
Melting.
"Ah, aaa..."
And beginning to heal.
The wounds that wouldn't close from the curse now mended with Ammut's divinity.
Completely, like melting away.
Ammut was sacrificing herself—her own divinity—to restore the hero's body.
'Ammut. Ammut.'
'...Speak, my master. I still hear you.'
To Ammut's delayed response, Ye said,
'...Thank you.'
'...What strange words all of a sudden. I merely obeyed your command as your servant—why thank me?'
'Ye considered you a friend.'
─────
I felt Ammut's low growl in her thoughts.
Soon, Ammut spoke.
'I felt the same. My master.'
And then, silence.
"Cough...!"
Blood spilled from his mouth.
Ammut had completely seeped into the hero's body and vanished.
Ammut, connected to Ye, had fallen silent—I could feel it.
But it wasn't over yet.
Ammut had squeezed out her last divinity to pull the hero through the crisis, but he was still gravely injured.
And now, it was Ye's turn.
No matter how much more divinity it required, Ye would pour in everything left.
Even if it meant Ye's own end.
'Live, hero.'
Stairs leading to a high place came into view.
"Where... is this?"
What about the Pedro skeletons?
I wasn't sure, but maybe climbing those would lead out. As I started up—
"You must not go there."
A voice said from behind.
Turning, I saw a small cat.
"...What're you?"
"I, Ammut who judges by death, have come to send you back."
Ammut?
This?
This cat?
No, more importantly, send me back where—
"Ah..."
Late, my last memory resurfaced.
Trying to land the finishing blow on the Pedro skeleton spawn, running out of strength, and the kid Pharaoh snatching the kill.
Then I'd blacked out and faceplanted.
"Return, hero."
"Don't tell me up there's the afterlife or some shit?"
"Not quite, but similar. However, it's too soon for you. And not something you need endure."
With that, the cat claiming to be Ammut hopped ahead up the stairs.
"Hey. You told me not to go, so why're you?"
"A fitting price. If something is received, something must be given. To send you back, I offered myself."
What?
What kinda bullshit...
That's what I thought, but the cat stared at me intently and said,
"Soon, the path will open. Go through it and return. And... my master... I entrust her to you, hero."
Meow—with that, Ammut hopped up the stairs again.
I didn't know what was going on.
But her talk of sacrificing in my place felt wrong.
So I lunged and grabbed Ammut's tail as she tried to hop up again.
"Wha—"
"What price, you fucking cat."
I didn't know, but this felt off.
"Such a foolish—! Let go! It's not too late!"
"Nah, don't wanna!"
I didn't know what, but no way.
So I yanked the wriggling Ammut—the tiny cat form—into a tight hug.
"N-no...!"
Then, black tentacles erupted from the stairs toward us.
"Holy shit, fuck?"
What the hell now.
"Do you not know how grave it is to withhold what was offered?!"
So, because I stopped Ammut from going up, this?
"I didn't know!"
"Foolish... Release me now! Still time!"
"But I don't wanna!"
Whatever it was, no.
I hugged the squirming Ammut tighter.
Then, the tentacles lunged at me and Ammut.
And—
Whoosh—something was hurled between the tentacles from the stairs.
Squelch, squelch.
As if satisfied with what it received, the tentacles slithered back down.
"What the hell."
Thankfully no tentacle rape, but what was all this? Ammut, unlike me, gaped wide.
"Y-you..."
Crack—a door ripped open behind me.
"...What the fuck now."
Suspicious shit nonstop, and now a mystery door to 'go back' through? I was too paranoid for that.
So it shoved me through.
"Hey, fuck."
What regrets?
I wanted to ask, but before I could, Ammut and I passed through the door.
Again?
What the hell did that mean.
And consciousness faded once more.
Just before pouring in all of Ye's divinity, I felt the hero's body fully recover.
"Fortunate."
But with this, perhaps a year.
Considering the divinity left to Ye, it would run dry in just a year.
But...
"The promise... can be kept..."
In a year, Karura's child would be born, and I could name it as promised—I was about to feel relief when—
"Groooargh...!"
The hero thrashed wildly.
Startled by the sudden turn, I soon understood the cause.
As his body healed, his twin cocks began to swell.
A natural reaction for any living being—no shame there. Nor could I blame an unconscious man's erection poking Ye's ass, and with no way to move anyway, I'd ignored it.
But now, his life force was rapidly draining from those cocks.
"Wh-what in the world."
What was happening? Then I realized.
'The drug's wearing off, so lemme top up.'
The hero's words flashed in my mind as he popped something into his mouth.
His body had recovered, but only the body.
The drug's lingering effect caused excess power to surge with his life force, bursting from his body.
At this rate, the barely mended vessel would shatter again with the escaping life force.
"Foolish..."
An unforeseen situation.
And not a bodily issue, but overflow of energy—no solution.
Unless...
Seal the escaping life force and power, return it.
And the way...
"...Karura."
"Ph-Pharaoh? Is he alright now?"
"He is healed. But... truly, I am sorry."
"Pardon?"
Karura's gaze questioned why apologize if he was fine. Unable to meet her eyes, I regenerated my severed arms and legs.
Zzzz...
As if never cut, arms and legs returned to original form.
Regeneration closer to reconstruction, using divinity.
Thus, half of Ye's scant remaining divinity was spent—no fulfilling the promise to Karura now.
But now, Ye could move freely.
"...The hero's body is mended, yet his life now drains from here."
"Y-yes? Wh-what...?"
Karura nodded at first, then tilted her head, deeper confusion.
Her puzzled expression—I understood, feeling the same.
"...Karura, you already bear a child, so it would be too much. Even if you withstood such power, the babe's life would be at risk... No time to call another. Thus..."
Gulp.
Swallowing, I carefully positioned my body over the hero's cocks, half the girth of Ye's torso.
"...Pharaoh?"
To Karura staring blankly, Ye—flushing at what was to come, for the first time—asked cautiously.
"One thing... just one thing I ask... Karura. The first time... does it... hurt?"