109. Padix Kingdom (4)
109. Padix Kingdom (4)
In a strategy game where the game ends when the king dies, what kind of evaluation would a king receive if he left the battlefield?
Probably, they would curse it as the worst strategy. But what if that king is strong?
Like chess, for example.
In chess, the king is the King. The King doesn't have high combat ability, but the Queen is different.
But if the Queen dies without being able to do anything, it's not an exaggeration to say that the game is just lost—the Queen is that influential.
However, you can think of me right now as being both the King and the Queen combined.
It ends if I die, but I'm so strong that I can't die.
Of course, there are many lifeforms in the world, and there are probably lifeforms as strong as me.
But the adventurer in front of me right now is not one of them.
An adventurer with a unique ability called Soul Cutting.
The other adventurers who seem to be in the same party also each possess outstanding strength.
And interestingly, the man with Soul Cutting is being called a hero.
But no matter how I look at him, he didn't seem like a hero to me.
Of course, he's handsome and looks strong, so he looks like a hero from a manga or anime, but his skill doesn't seem like that of a hero.
If after dealing with Gluttony and several thousand Ners, he's in that state, then calling him a hero is wrong.
It's sad that so many children died and even Gluttony died, but from my consciousness, not the Queen's, that's less than 5% of our Legion's combat power.
If he's struggling against less than 5% of our power, then isn't he not a hero, but just a human who's strong for a human?
A hero is supposed to overcome any hardship and adversity, isn't that what a hero is?
Besides, if he were a hero, wouldn't his unique ability be called 'hero'?
Come to think of it, I remember what Amber said.
She said that the hero is the strongest and most just person of the era who inherits the title of hero.
But is that really a hero?
Isn't it just a title?
==
The hero party's judgment was quick.
As soon as Leah appeared before them and they confirmed she was a creature, they moved immediately.
First, spears of various attributes poured out from the mage's staff.
Countless creatures burst out from Leah's body and blocked the mage's magic.
The creatures couldn't withstand and died from the magic pouring out of the mage's staff, which had reached a level called the limit of humans.
But the creatures had already done what they needed to do.
The magic disappeared without reaching Leah.
The mage looked at Leah, preparing to cast another spell since the magic hadn't reached her.
Leah was also staring intently at the mage.
The mage, whose eyes met Leah's empty, feelingless pupils, was instantly consumed by fear throughout his body.
Leah raised her hand and pointed at the mage.
A thin jet-black light extended out.
Something shot from her index finger at a speed too fast for the eye to perceive. Leah's index finger lengthened, pierced the mage's heart, and returned.
The mage didn't even feel his heart being pierced, and his body began to fall.
'Why is my body collapsing? I need to prepare the next spell—'
Even as he fell, the mage, who hadn't let go of his staff, tried to gather mana to cast a spell.
But since all mana begins and ends at the heart, with a punctured heart, he couldn't transfer mana to his staff.
The pierced heart beat violently, busy pouring out blood and mana.
"Kkeulkeok—"
Only when the mage collapsed and blood spilled did the hero party realize their comrade the mage had been struck.
"Ahjussi!!!"
"Huaaaaap!!!"
The hero charged at Leah, while the healer ran to the fallen mage.
"I'm, I'm not too late...!"
Though his heart had been pierced, the mage wasn't dead yet.
But it was a serious enough situation that it wouldn't be strange for him to die at any moment.
The healer closed her eyes tightly and poured her divine power into the mage's heart, striving to save him.
'What the hell is this monster?'
The hero charged at Leah, but couldn't even get close.
To utilize his unique ability, he had to directly cut with the sword he held.
No matter how many creatures continuously emerging from Leah's body he cut, cut, cut, and cut again, even if he took a step forward, nothing changed.
His unique ability dealt damage to the essence, the soul, regardless of what power the opponent had, so he had always achieved victory against any opponent so far.
But that sword never reached Leah.
'This is dangerous. The creatures keep increasing. Is it an ability similar to the Worm? We have too little information.'
The hero didn't stop thinking as he swung his sword.
He was very worried about the fallen mage, but he didn't look back.
The moment he looked back, he and the entire party could be in danger.
Kwaaaaaang!!!
"Kkeuk—!"
The hero barely blocked an attack from a creature that came out of Leah's body.
Extreme, severe pain surged from his abdomen, which had been crushed by Gluttony.
His head screamed at him to keep moving, but his body, already exhausted beyond measure, did not move as he willed.
'Don't give up. If you give up here, the title of hero will be wasted!'
His body, already completely exhausted and once collapsed, his field of vision darkening at the edges, the sounds of battle growing distant.
The hero exhaled heavily, scraping together every bit of oxygen in his body.
The creatures rushed toward the hero.
Honestly, the hero had feared this creature invasion.
If possible, he hadn't wanted to come here.
But because he was a hero, because everyone was waiting for him, he came to answer that call.
If the hero ran away, who would stand against this monster?
Leah's attacks began to intensify.
At a distance where he could count the number of teeth on the creature.
The creatures, filled with Leah's rage at losing Gluttony, opened their mouths toward the hero.
"Huaaaaat!"
The hero swung his sword.
The moment the teeth and sword met, a tremendous shock transmitted to the hand holding the hero's sword.
Thousands, tens of thousands of times, the thought of simply letting go of the sword crossed his mind, but he endured because the moment he let go, he would die.
The puddle of blood under the hero's feet split apart as he was sent flying backward instantly.
Kwang!!!
"Zeon!!!"
As the hero crashed into a nearly collapsed building, the archer leaped forward and shot an arrow to prevent the monster from touching the healer, who was focused on healing, and the dying mage.
But the arrow didn't reach Leah.
Leah stared intently at the archer.
Leah's hand moved leaving afterimages.
"Uh?"
The archer, who had been shooting arrows without stopping, found his vision spinning in an instant.
The archer was weaker than the hero, but his reflexes were superior. Yet even that archer saw nothing.
He could only surmise that something like a tentacle had struck his body, sending him flying into the air.
Unable to even think of breaking his fall from the shock, he tumbled across the blood-pooled floor.
Only after his entire body became coated in blood did the archer stop and immediately rise.
He didn't collapse from a single attack, but he bit his lip hard from the pain screaming from his entire body.
Though his whole body was covered in blood, the blood on the archer's body wasn't his own.
But that didn't mean the archer's body was fine.
'My ribs are broken...!'
Whether the broken ribs had pierced his lungs inside, blood flowed from his mouth every time his lungs moved to breathe.
A single blow.
With just one blow, it had pierced through his protective gear, which was reinforced with protection magic.
The archer endured the pain but felt something was strange.
Why was he able to get up like this?
The mage had his heart pierced by an attack as fast as one that couldn't be followed by the eye.
The hero was also sent flying by a single attack, and his current state couldn't even be confirmed.
Yet for himself, it wasn't a fatal attack but one meant to incapacitate.
Perhaps he had instinctively tried to block with his arm to protect his upper body, but his arm was broken.
His body needed healing immediately, but that was impossible.
The wounds were serious enough to cause aftereffects if not healed immediately, but the mage with a pierced heart would die without healing.
The archer endured the pain in his arm and lifted his bow.
When the pain of broken bones tearing through each muscle obstructed that action, the archer took out a syringe from his back pocket.
The archer, without hesitation, stabbed that syringe into his own thigh.
What was in the syringe was none other than a powerful drug.
Adventurers of A-rank and above always carry drugs.
It's not that they carry them because they're addicted.
It's precisely for situations like this.
The hero had tried to use one earlier, but everyone stopped him.
Because it's a drug, the side effects are severe. It can be addictive, and since it removes limits and makes one ignore their physical condition, the aftermath when the drug wears off is very intense.
The drug is truly the last of last resorts.
As soon as the drug was administered, the pain of the pierced lung and the broken arm disappeared.
The surroundings appeared slow, and attacks that had been invisible until now became visible.
The archer, feeling no pain but with a creaking arm, drew his bow.
His arm was twisted, making aiming difficult, but based on his accumulated combat experience, the archer shot an arrow at a flying tentacle that was aiming for the healer.
The arrow shot out like a beam and exploded the tentacle.
The archer continued shooting arrows, making Leah look at him.
No matter how much a powerful drug awakens the brain, it doesn't mean healing.
He couldn't block Leah's attacks, which even the hero couldn't handle, not in his intact state—already at a half-corpse level.
Unable to withstand Leah's onslaught, just as a tentacle was about to devour the archer's arm.
Chwak—!
A sword aura radiating pure white light cut the tentacle aiming for the archer.
The archer smiled seeing that light.
Leah rolled one eyeball in the direction of the attack against her.
The hero, whom she thought would be unable to move for a while, stood outside the building holding a radiant sword.
There was a syringe mark on the hero's thigh, the same as the archer's.
Leah also smiled seeing that hero.
"Looking cool?"
Leah thought, seeing the hero exuding heroism, that she would like to create a creature to replace Gluttony using that body.
As Leah gradually got used to the battle, she opened the Queen's power further.
