Stabbed in the Back
Sitting cross-legged on the spot, he slowly circulated his qi and regulated his breathing. With no stamina and no inner energy to speak of, he naturally began with the basic Heart Purification Art.
If I can't even manage this, I might as well smash my face into the plate and die.
This shitty body of his couldn't even complete one cycle of the Small Heavenly Circulation. Basic pure qi hadn't even accumulated in it yet.
"Hoo..."
He barely finished the exercise and pulled out a cigarette.
The Five Stars
Nicknamed the Five Heroes—Sword, Bow, Spear, Magic, and Recovery—five heroes who joined forces to defeat the Demon King in an RPG. With its high degree of freedom, top-quality illustrations, and epic tale of dreams and adventure unfolding across a vast continent... Sounds great, right? But dungeon clears and hidden item acquisitions were brutally difficult, and the NPCs' independent AI often blocked the Sword Hero player's path, jacking up the difficulty to insane levels. A shitty game like that.
But there were hardcore fans who loved it anyway... Why hide it? That was me. My number one game in my heart was always you, Five Stars.
But even so, I didn't ask to get isekai'd into it.
"Huh?"
The chair trembled beneath him, and the cigarette dropped from his mouth to the floor.
Hey, come on. He lit a fresh one and addressed the guy below.
"Can't you do it straight?"
"I... I can't... anymore!"
"Don't slack off. Thirteen left."
"You said... you'd let me go if I answered... your questions..."
Yeah, he had. He needed to confirm if his game knowledge still held up here. And as expected, it matched perfectly.
"But I never said I'd let you go right away?"
"You bastard... How dare you mock me...!"
He slowly lifted the bloodstained ashtray, and the Magic Hero gritted his teeth, bending his arm.
"......"
About damn time. Where had he left off? Right—stories and hidden elements had solid settings, enough for multi-run veterans or lore divers to enjoy. He'd been one of them.
"Whoa, up you go."
"Grrraaah—"
"Up. Quick. Eleven left."
"No... more... I can't!"
Pathetic. Pitiful. If he'd grabbed some average joe and made him do push-ups with a guy on his back, sure, it'd be harsh. But the hope of humanity, destined to save the world from the Demon King's army, couldn't even hit a hundred?
"Let's do this nice and easy. Hurry up, punk."
"My... arm's broken...! Just kill me—"
Oh, right, it was broken. Sorry about that. As you wish.
Crack!
A sharp impact rang out, and the guy slumped to the floor like a ragdoll.
"......"
Passed out. A man who grants even his enemies' wishes—that's me. Should he praise him anyway? The Magic Hero had lasted longer than the Spear punk.
"...Shit."
About to stub out his cigarette, he stared blankly at the ashtray, now shattered into six pieces. It had felt good to swing. What a shame.
He stood, stretched slowly, and surveyed the room. In the back, foaming at the mouth, lay the blond guy—Spear Hero Dario. A powerhouse in the game, but disappointing up close. Probably because they were just past the prologue, no real growth yet.
Lucky for me.
The gray-haired one who'd been training with him until moments ago was Magic Hero Dmitri. Even with holy power and mana restricted by the capital's magic barrier, the guy had some grit.
...Not that he'd lasted more than five seconds.
Anyway, he'd shown these idiot heroes the clear gap in skill. They wouldn't dare come at him for a while. No need to silence them either—word of losing to an incompetent hero would just make them laughingstocks. He'd gone easy on them for a simple reason: I'll let you live.
Every time a hero died, the Demon King got several times stronger. For someone who wanted to beat him fast, no point raising the difficulty.
"...Hoo."
Now came the real problem. As long as no one interfered, he could slip out clean if he planned his route right. No point sticking around the Royal Capital—the ones framing him aside, Demon King minions would've infiltrated everywhere by now. No merits there.
Which meant... If that Magic punk was telling the truth, the protagonist's still active in the central empire...
Plenty of time. First, gear up and grab some quests right after escaping. He wanted to head south to the desert or north, but with my current strength, it'd be instant death.
Border regions it was. He had martial arts to re-cultivate, plenty to do. Wouldn't take long.
He nudged the two men sleeping like they owned the place.
"Quit whining and get up."
He got it, they were tired, but time to go. If a kingdom investigator or high priest saw this, they'd latch on.
"Up, assholes. This your house?"
Even without mana enhancement or holy power, were heroes supposed to pass out this easy?
"Ughhh..."
"......"
Hit 'em too hard? By normal standards, they'd fought well. Top-tier in the allied kingdoms, no doubt.
But... their opponent's me.
Poor bastards.
Right then, strength drained from his entire body, an intense wave of exhaustion crashing over him.
"Urk! Ack! Cough!"
When the coughing ended, he spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor. A dark crimson puddle, thick and sticky.
"Cough... ha."
One wrong move and he'd be dead.
Using Innate True Qi was a bit much, huh?
He shook his head slowly, wiping the blood from his mouth with his sleeve. No, that call was right.
He eyed the sprawled Spear punk and Dmitri. If he hadn't crushed them here, they'd have forced a confession. He needed to show power.
Cheap price, all things considered.
"......"
Innate True Qi—a person's innate essence. Simply put, burning lifespan. Lucky he'd learned martial arts before; not just anyone could tap it. Heroes were heroes, seals or no. For an incompetent hero's empty shell, it was the best he had.
If I ration it, maybe three more times.
And he could use it without hesitation because... it's not really my body.
Possession and transference were different.
"Hero, time to move... Wh-what is this?"
The maid's eyes widened at the two heroes on the floor.
"They crashed out right away, tired I guess."
"...I, I see."
She didn't buy it, but lacked the guts to ask.
"Anyway? You said it's time to go?"
"Y-yes... I'll escort you back to the courthouse."
One sec—let him stub this out. Sizzle—he ground the butt into Spear punk's hair and headed out.
"Let's go."
"......"
Why the stare?
"For real...?"
This much? He glanced back; the kingdom investigator and high priest smirked sinisterly at him.
Behind the judge's bench, the Bow Hero already had an arrow nocked at him. Flanking him, royal knights in heavy armor gripped their sword hilts, ready.
No escaping like this.
...But the real absurdity was those witnesses.
Betrayal strikes suddenly, usually.
"To the sinner Tanas,"
"we sentence death."
Bang-bang-bang!
Just like now.
"Court, witnesses popping up out of nowhere? Does that even make sense?"
Let's think rationally here.
"Immediate execution...? Something's off."
"Indeed."
Murmurs from the gallery grew louder—not just him.
"Quiet! No more stirring the crowd with that silver tongue!"
Look at this investigator prick latching on.
"......"
"Khk! Y-you bastard!! Think glaring changes anything? You're done, heretic hero!"
No spine to meet his eyes, turning away.
The mess? Simple. The girls in the witness box—blond, brown-haired, blue-haired—sobbed dramatically, squeezing out tears like it was a color show.
...Weren't you my party members? Hero crests on their cloaks confirmed it.
"The hero called us every night to serve him..."
"He... he touched us like this."
"That night, he tried to force himself on us, but we refused, so he stormed out angry... I never thought he'd do something so horrific to the princess..."
What a show.
"Hold on, that never happened. And that's just character smears—not direct evidence, right?"
"Filthy cur! Still denying it? The victims' tears are proof!!"
"Incompetent hero Tanas, sully the Goddess's name no more—pay for your sins!"
Investigator and priest pointed, raising their voices.
"Drag sinner Tanas to the execution ground!"
These bastards planned to kill him here, rules be damned.
"Executing right now?"
"Even so, too fast."
Gallery ignored now. Bow Hero behind, knights on sides. Checkmate.
Back-to-back Innate True Qi would kill me from backlash...
"......"
No choice but that, huh. Painful, but better than instant death.
You fuckers... just wait.
"Wait."
"Planning more devilish lies to sway the crowd?"
No, asserting my rights.
"I'll face the Goddess's Judgment."
"What!? The Judgment!?"
The priest's face twisted like he'd eaten shit.
The Goddess's Judgment—a rite offering sinners as sacrifices to purify their crimes. Not for anyone; only chosen like popes, saints, or heroes.
Death either way.
"Nonsense! Quietly offer your neck..."
He cut off the investigator, declaring boldly.
"I am the hero, proxy of the Goddess. If I die, I'll offer my life to her."
"Guards, what are you doing? Drag the sinner aw—"
"Denying the Goddess's will? Investigator, are you a heretic?"
Heretic. Clear meaning in the kingdom.
"Th-that wasn't my intent... A slip of the tongue."
"Good. Shut up then."
"......"
"Hero, the Judgment is no light thing. The 100-day purification might make you wish for death. Truly prepared to—"
"I am."
"......"
They're panicking. Panicking. Priest, why do you care?
"...If that's your will, so be it. Court adjourned."
Bang-bang-bang!
Made it somehow.
"Follow."
Led by knights toward the exit, a panicked voice hit his ear.
"Eek! Tanas...!"
"Th-this can't happen!"
"What do we do?"
Glancing back, three girls stared pale-faced.
Wait there.