Chapter 100: Apocalypse? (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 100: Apocalypse? (3)
“He…ro…?”
Her expression was one of disbelief.
But contrary to that expression, her voice held a sliver of hope.
The hope that he was the Hero she knew.
Instead of answering, Cloud surveyed her wretched state.
Tears of blood streamed from her bloodshot eyes, and her once-clear skin was scraped and bruised all over. Her pure white habit was covered in dirty boot prints.
“Potion.”
Shedia pulled a potion from a small backpack and handed it to him. He slowly applied it to Ophelia’s wounds.
“Ngh…!”
“It’ll sting, but bear with it.”
“Yes…”
As he was treating her with the potion, someone from the murmuring crowd of citizens shouted.
“Are you the Hero?”
It was a sturdy, middle-aged man with a mustache.
Without stopping his work, Cloud answered.
“I am.”
The murmuring among the citizens grew louder.
In this desperate situation, the appearance of a Hero—of hope—had them excited.
The middle-aged man, his face now filled with relief, pleaded with Cloud.
“Then please, save us quickly.”
“I plan to, even if you hadn't asked. Just wait a moment until this treatment is finished.”
“She doesn’t even look that badly hurt. Can’t you treat her after we’ve reached safety?”
“It will only take a moment.”
“Even that moment is dangerous for us!”
“That’s why my companions are protecting you, isn’t it? If you don’t want to get hurt, stay put.”
Cloud replied, his voice slightly cold.
At that, the middle-aged man fell silent, and the rest of the citizens stopped talking.
He focused again on treating Ophelia and asked her.
“What were you doing here? And why were those people beating you?”
Ophelia’s pupils trembled, and a look of guilt washed over her face.
“Be-because of me, the barrier broke, and many people were hurt or killed. It’s all my fault. I deserve to be hit…”
“So you’re saying the barrier broke because you ran out of divine power? How is that your fault?”
“N-No, it’s… it really is my fault. Because I’m so useless…” she mumbled, casting her eyes down.
Cloud narrowed his.
She’s not usually like this. What happened while I was gone?
“You can blame yourself later. Where are Erina and Neria?”
He asked as he set the empty potion bottle on the ground. He wanted to ask why Creas had been summoned in the first place, but he could hear about that after the situation was resolved.
“They both went to rescue other citizens. They left a while ago and still haven’t returned…”
“Is that so? Alright, I get it. And you said you can’t use your divine power?”
“Huh? Yes…”
“Then wait here.”
Cloud stood up and drew his sword.
He took a deep breath and kicked off the ground. As he leaped toward a building wall, three tentacles shot out to pierce him.
A blue sword aura bloomed from his blade.
A gentle blue arc traced through the air, and the three tentacles fell to the ground with a thud.
The moment his body touched the wall, he kicked off it and leaped toward another building.
Before the severed tentacle chunks even hit the ground, he had reached the new building and sliced the tentacle wrapped around it in half.
Then he leaped toward another building wall.
Like a pinball, he zigzagged from building to building, eliminating the surrounding tentacles.
I didn't get all of them, but this should be fine for now.
He kicked off the wall of the last building he’d landed on, heading for its roof. It was a fairly tall building, so it took three kicks before he finally arrived.
From such a high vantage point, he could get a clear view of the monster that had taken over the royal palace.
A monster with a round head like an octopus, but unlike an octopus, it had dozens of eyes and thousands of legs, large and small.
The ruler of the vast Demon Realm sea and the Demon King’s faithful servant.
One of the Four Heavenly Kings, Creas.
It definitely feels different from seeing it as a bunch of pixels.
The sight of dozens of eyeballs rolling around and far more legs squirming was a little disgusting.
How did I beat this thing in the game?
Ah, right. The four Heroes and the Empire’s Platinum Knight Order had subjugated it together. And it was Mars who had held out until the subjugation force arrived.
But neither of them are here now.
Creas had just been summoned, and the other nations didn't know about it yet.
Even if they were informed, it would take a considerable amount of time for the Heroes and the Platinum Knight Order to be dispatched.
In the game, Mars had bought that time, but Mars wasn't here now.
Because he had changed Mars’s fate.
It’s not like I can take that thing on alone… This is hopeless.
As he shook his head, the sight of the collapsing city entered his vision.
Tentacles extending from the royal palace were swallowing the city and its citizens. Buildings crumbled, and people screamed as they died or fled.
Cloud switched his ring to its attack configuration.
It’s not like there’s absolutely no way…
If he used his own skills, the ones not of this world, he might be able to resolve this somehow.
But that would be a stupid thing to do.
Why had he hidden his skills until now?
Wasn’t it to hide his identity and, more importantly, to avoid the Goddess’s unpredictable actions?
And he was going to reveal them just because a few more people might die?
That would be a foolish act that would render everything he’d done so far meaningless.
<Behemoth's Pattern>
(Berserk)
- Accuracy reduced by 50%
- All stats increased by 100%.
From the moment Creas was summoned, the deaths of the majority of the citizens were already sealed. Not even Mars could have prevented that. All Mars had been able to do was buy time, preventing Creas and its minions from leaving the city.
So, thinking rationally, the right thing to do was to escape the city and join the subjugation force.
<Ogre's Pattern>
[Active]
- Temporarily doubles Strength
- 50% Armor Penetration
Besides, the situation was better now than in the game.
For some reason, the Four Heavenly Kings’ minions hadn't appeared, had they?
Perhaps quite a few people might be able to get out alive.
As his thoughts continued, a crying girl in a corner of his vision caught his eye. She must have lost her parents, because she was crying her heart out.
But none of the adults passing by her tried to help.
That’s the right way to do it.
Kindness should only be extended as long as you don't suffer a loss yourself.
Helping others even if it means taking a loss?
That just makes you a sucker.
<Hero's Pattern>
(Bloom)
- For a short time, draws out all latent potential. You will lose consciousness when ‘Bloom’ ends.
Cloud was still watching the crying girl when a fleeing boy saw her and stopped.
The boy looked to be about the same age as the girl.
He looked back and forth, hesitating, before his face hardened with resolve and he approached the girl.
The boy said something to her. The girl just shook her head and kept crying.
Cloud thought the boy would give up and run away alone.
But he didn't.
The boy grabbed the girl’s hand and started running haphazardly.
A foolish act.
The girl wasn't resisting, so they were running together, but their pace was significantly slower than if he were alone.
He would probably face even more danger now.
The boy must have known that too.
And yet, he didn't let go of the girl’s hand.
Cloud saw a familiar face in the boy.
The face of a stubborn blockhead of a paladin who never listened to a word anyone said.
“So damn stupid, honestly.”
Cloud smiled and drew the Holy Sword.
<Hero's Pattern>
(Falling Blossoms)
- Can be used during ‘Bloom’.
Draws out more than the latent potential. When ‘Falling Blossoms’ ends, all stats are permanently reduced by 10%.
*
She was a devout believer.
She praised her god and knew to be grateful for what she was given.
She restrained her desires and did not covet what belonged to others.
She was a knight.
She was loyal only to her god and protected the weak.
Despite her outstanding skill, she was humble and knew forgiveness.
She was incredibly single-minded.
When it came to doctrine and chivalry, she would not yield an inch.
On the day an army of ten thousand demons besieged the Holy Land, Atlia.
When everyone else discussed retreat, she stood alone before the army of ten thousand.
Holding her sword in both hands in a posture of prayer.
Everyone who saw her condemned her.
Calling her an inflexible, damned bitch.
Calling her a fucking single-minded bitch who only thought of herself.
And then, everyone saw it.
The holy light gathering on her sword.
The miracle created by that golden light.
The Holy Sword, imbued with golden light, shines brightly.
The light dispelled the darkness that had settled over the city and enveloped the people.
One by one, those freed from the darkness turned their eyes toward the source of the light.
Ophelia was no different.
Sunk in the mire of despair, she lifted her head and saw it.
A brilliant, shining golden light.
It was radiant and holy.
Ophelia, and all of them, were no longer afraid.
Ophelia, and all of them, were no longer anxious.
Ophelia, and all of them, were no longer frantic.
Because they did not doubt for a second that this light would save them.
And they were not wrong.
The tentacles that had been chasing them all converged on the light.
Thousands of tentacles swarmed the source of the light.
Darkness returned.
Just as everyone was about to lose hope and despair once more.
—CRACK!
A brilliant flash tore through the sky.
When those who had squeezed their eyes shut slowly opened them, neither the holy light nor the darkness that had tried to swallow it was there.
The dark clouds had been split apart.
The sunlight that streamed through the gap illuminated a single man.
“Ah…”
A single tear rolled down Ophelia’s cheek.
She fell to her knees, clasped her hands reverently, and prayed.
The citizens who saw her followed her lead, praying respectfully.
Other citizens saw them and did the same, and the act continued to spread. Soon, the vast majority of the citizens were offering prayers to the man bathed in sunlight.
Thump.
Within Ophelia’s empty core, a new divine power began to bloom. Though it was a force so faint that even she couldn't feel it, it was, without a doubt, divine power.
*
“C-Cloud, are you okay?!”
“Does he look okay to you? Hurry up and pour a potion on him!”
“R-Right!”
Katarina and Leslie each took out a potion and poured it over Cloud’s body.
They had been full of laughter when they’d first come up to the roof, but the sight of Cloud bleeding profusely from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears had made them recoil in horror.
“Just pouring it on his body won’t heal internal injuries. He needs to drink it. Sir Cloud, please open your mouth.”
“…”
“Sir Cloud? I know it’s difficult, but could you please open your mouth?”
“…”
“Sir Cloud…? Huh? He’s passed out standing up?”
“What? But his eyes are open. How can you pass out with your eyes open?”
“How should I know? Let’s lay him down. It’ll be easier to make him drink.”
The two women carefully laid Cloud down. Leslie lifted his upper body and pinched his nose. When he stopped breathing, she tipped the potion into his mouth.
“S-Slowly!”
“I’m already going as slow as I can, so could you please shut…”
—Gack.
Cloud retched, spitting up blood.
“Aah?! You crazy bitch! I told you to do it slowly!”
“How is this my fault? The blood just flowed back up! No, more importantly, we have a problem.”
“Why? What is it?”
“The potion won’t go down because of the blood he’s coughing up.”
“Huh?”
“What do you mean, ‘huh?’ If the potion doesn’t go in, we can’t treat his internal injuries! We can’t treat internal injuries that are causing this much bleeding.”
Katarina’s face went deathly pale.
“I-Isn’t that, like, really dangerous?”
“It’s not ‘like’ dangerous, it’s extremely dangerous. If potions don’t work, we need to get a cleric, but the only one nearby is that woman who’s out of divine power…”
Leslie bit her lip, looking uncharacteristically agitated.
She couldn’t think of a viable solution.
Just as it seemed time would just slip away, Katarina’s eyes widened as if she’d realized something.
“How about we cut open his stomach and pour the potion in?”
“…”
Leslie stared blankly at Katarina for a moment.
“For once, you’ve had a good idea.”
In an instant, she created a dagger of ice.
“Let’s cut him open.”