Bad End: The Saintess (3)
The reasons for the Saintess's defeat were many. It could have been a simple lack of firepower, or perhaps the hero's party simply didn't have enough members. Or maybe they had expended too much stamina and divine power just reaching Valcan's chamber, or drawn too much attention and attracted hordes of monsters. But if one had to name the single greatest cause among them, the answer came easily. It was that the Insect King, Valcan, was simply far too strong.
The hero's sword strikes barely grazed Valcan's robes, and the Saintess's divine power could only manage to burn away a few small insects. Even if several party members hadn't fallen midway, the outcome would likely have been the same. The first of the Four Heavenly Kings the hero's party encountered made the gap in power painfully clear, as though flaunting his superiority.
"How disappointing."
Boom!
"Hero!"
A massive scorpion pincer slammed viciously down onto the hero's chest. Luke, already knocked down, had no choice but to take the blow. Bright red blood burst from his mouth.
"I had such high hopes for the hero who appeared after hundreds of years... and this is all you amount to? Then what was the point of all the time I spent preparing, or the excessive power He granted me?"
Crack!
"Though our objects of admiration differed, I too once felt my heart race listening to tales of the hero. As a child, I heard stories of the mighty Four Heavenly Kings who repelled the hero. Of the Demon King's army schemes that troubled him. And ultimately, of the Demon King who finally stopped the hero."
Crunch!
"Listening to those stories, I nurtured my ambitions and eventually claimed a seat among the Four Heavenly Kings. I trained relentlessly, waiting for the day the hero would come... but what is this?"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"To think the one who finally arrived would be such a pathetic weakling."
Again and again, the giant pincer slammed down onto the hero's body. The steel claw slowly but steadily crushed Luke's frame. The only remaining party member, the Saintess Yulise, could only watch in horror.
"Hero!"
Her own body was far from normal. Paralyzed by neurotoxins and nerve poisons, she could barely move; only her eyes, nose, and mouth still functioned. The situation felt utterly despairing and incomprehensible. How had things turned out this way? The matchup had clearly favored them, so why were they the ones losing? How many of Valcan's insects would they have to slaughter before reaching a limit? Why was the hero she had wrongly suspected of being a traitor now lying cold on the floor, reduced to a lump of meat?
The answer was simple. The hero was no traitor—he was truly the hero. They were the ones who had foolishly doubted him. Of course, the fragments of sin she had sensed from his body still caused some confusion... but none of that mattered now. It was already over.
As payment for their suspicions, the hero had been defeated. All that remained was to thoroughly collect that debt. The thought was so terrifying that Yulise cried out once more.
"Hero, please get up!"
Shouting was all she could do. Though it felt powerless and miserable, she didn't stop.
"Please, get up!"
She was desperate enough to grasp at any straw. She didn't want to die like this. If they were defeated here, the continent would fall into despair. Countless people would weep and lose hope. And above all... she too would be surrounded by the insects she loathed and die a slow, agonizing death. That fate, at least, she refused even in death.
Fear slowly crept into her heart. It felt disgusting to suddenly beg for her life from someone she had hated for half a year... but she couldn't stop herself.
As if her desperate wish had been heard...
"...I offer ten years of my lifespan to completely heal my body."
The hero finally rose. The words were somewhat difficult to understand, yet carried an uneasy weight.
His shattered body began to mend. Bones reduced to dust reattached themselves, torn flesh restored to its original state. The healing speed was nothing short of a divine miracle, yet Yulise wasn't particularly surprised—she had witnessed something similar before. What truly caught her attention was the sentence he had just muttered.
"What?"
She unconsciously voiced her doubt.
"Ten years of lifespan...?"
Then... that number she had faintly heard last time—could it be...? But the thought didn't last long. The hero spoke first.
"Damn it..."
"Oh?"
A short murmur thick with irritation. Valcan tilted his head, intrigued.
"You possess an interesting ability, hero. Was this power granted to the hero of this generation?"
"...Yeah. You damn battle-crazed bastard. I was trying to save it as long as possible, but you forced my hand."
The hero raised his sword.
"Thanks to you, all my plans are ruined. Don't worry. I'll make sure you enjoy what's coming."
Then he muttered once more, as if addressing someone, his voice barely audible.
—...I offer twenty years of my lifespan to strengthen my body.
Yet every word reached her ears clearly. She hadn't misheard. He had explicitly said "lifespan." If it meant what she thought... he had literally burned his own life force to heal himself.
Immediately afterward, an immense power erupted from the hero's body. Blue-tinged mana leaked from his flesh, and the holy sword's blade shone with a sharp light. The pressure radiating from him was comparable to that of a Heavenly King.
Seeing this, Valcan burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Yes, only at this level can you be called a hero!!"
The clash that followed was even fiercer than before. Luke's sword carved through the giant scorpion. Mana pouring from his body incinerated the surrounding insects. He dispersed the approaching poison mist with wind and peeled away the chitin armor of beetles that even Kamilla's sword aura couldn't penetrate, using the holy sword.
Luke's rampaging blade even managed to graze Valcan's body several times.
"Haha! This is fun!! Yes, entertain me more!!!"
Each time, Valcan summoned swarms of insects to counter the hero. The battle dragged on for a long while.
Unfortunately, in terms of endurance, the hero was destined to lose. Unlike Valcan, who had spent hundreds of years gathering his insects, Luke had only temporarily amplified his power by burning his own lifespan. As time passed, Luke inevitably grew weaker.
Each time, he gritted his teeth and muttered.
"I offer ten years."
"...I offer ten years."
"......I offer ten years."
With every eerie murmur, the holy sword's radiance grew stronger. The light that burned his life force was dazzling to the point of heartbreak. Even Yulise, who had denied him until now, found herself momentarily entranced.
"......"
She could no longer cheer. She could only watch. It felt miserable and pathetic to lie there doing nothing while someone fought so desperately. She wondered if she, who had denied him until now, even had the right to support him.
"You wield a strange authority, hero."
How long had they fought? Valcan spoke again. His spine-chilling voice, like metal scraping metal, gnawed at the cavern walls.
His own body was far from unscathed. The cloak and bandages covering him had been slashed in countless places by the hero's sword, and dust clung to every inch of him. Anyone could see he had sustained numerous injuries. Yet he continued to smile, as though enjoying himself.
"You're treating your life force like a blank check."
Thick blood seeped from between Valcan's severed bandages.
"Do you think your life force is infinite?"
At the same time, the insects within his blood fell to the floor. Centipedes, maggots, and grubs writhed everywhere amid the bloody fluid.
"Do you think burning your lifespan makes you invincible?"
Suddenly, Yulise smelled an overwhelming stench. The severed pieces of his flesh gave off an unbearable odor of rotting corpses.
Even in such a state, Valcan continued speaking.
"No. You're merely postponing the cruel reality that approaches. Your future has already been decided—defeat."
At that moment—
"Cough—!"
The hero vomited a handful of blood. Bright red blood splattered across the floor.
Yulise couldn't hold back any longer.
"Hero!!"
"The poison is finally taking effect."
The hero spoke.
"...When?"
He had blown away all the poison mist. He had cut down every approaching poisonous insect. So when had the poison found an opening?
"It doesn't have to be only the insects that carry poison."
Valcan pointed to his own arm as he walked slowly. It was the forearm the hero had severed earlier. Thick, dark red blood and insects still dripped from the wound.
"My blood is no different from extreme poison. A single drop on the skin is enough to kill most creatures. Did you really think you could fight me without getting even a drop of my blood on you?"
"Damn it..."
"It should have taken effect much earlier... but your life force was so strong that it had no effect until now. Seeing that it's finally working..."
Valcan laughed creepily.
"It seems you've reached your limit as well?"
The hero bit his lip. Even then, he tried to open his mouth to offer another price. With blood-filled lips, he attempted to make another contract involving his lifespan.
At that moment—
"Enough."
Crunch!
"Guh...!"
Suddenly, giant thorns erupted from the floor and pierced the hero's abdomen. His words were cut short. Valcan continued.
"I've seen that ability enough to grow tired of it. I'm getting bored as well. Let's end this now."
Valcan flicked his finger.
Thud! Thud!!
The same thorns pierced the hero's body once more.
Yulise watched the scene with a face twisted in despair. Even now, her body remained paralyzed; she couldn't so much as twitch a finger.
Luke let out a groan, twitched once more, then went limp as though his life force had finally run out.
That was the end. The hero could no longer move or breathe. He was dead.
The fierce battle ended so futilely. All that remained was one paralyzed Saintess who couldn't move... and one Heavenly King still standing proudly.
"Now, then......"
Valcan turned his head. Insects slowly crawled toward Yulise.
"Only the two of us left?"
Yulise's face twisted with despair.