Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: Hero of Liberation - 3
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The powder reached Hyren atop the wind spirit.
Green smoke and poisonous dust tangled together.
-Kreurgh! Urgh.
The green smoke writhed several times... and then slowly began to fade in color.
"His form is returning."
Just as Jenia said, Hyren could no longer maintain his smoky state.
He reverted to his original human appearance.
That utterly ordinary face, one you'd forget if you passed him by.
"He's a total wreck."
Neril said in a cold tone.
Sure enough, just as I'd guessed, Hyren had already been pierced by a spear of decomposition.
My hunch that they'd sliced off part of the smoke was right too—one of his legs was gone.
Black, pus-like blood dripped from the stump.
Blood poured nonstop from his mouth.
Hyren was clearly on the verge of death.
With trembling eyes, he said,
"Is... is this poison your doing? Offense."
"Yeah."
"Poison that can kill me?"
"I've researched it for quite a while. For a guy like you, dying to poison must be the most pathetic end imaginable."
Wheeze.
He vomited blood again and continued.
"Save me."
"Delusional nonsense. You're already a dead man. I couldn't make an antidote even if I wanted to."
"I'm not asking you to give me the antidote. Just let me escape."
"That's even more ridiculous."
Offense shook his head, as if it wasn't worth hearing.
But Hyren still had an ace up his sleeve.
Rustle.
He pulled a vial from his pocket.
That same vial I'd seen through the Eye of Omniscience... the Jewel of Greed.
I groaned and said,
"So it's the Jewel of Greed."
"Huh? That thing?"
"Drink it mixed with your opponent's blood, and you steal their ability. The one they used most recently, within the last twenty-four hours."
"What a load of shit..."
That's when Hyren spoke up.
"Look at this."
He hovered his left hand over his right palm.
The shadow cast by his left hand spread across his right palm.
He placed the vial into the shadow and pulled it back out.
"Now, my most recently used ability is shadow sorcery. And... I'll mix in my blood right here."
He dripped blood into the vial.
Then, in a desperate tone, he said,
"Get the picture? I'll give this to you, Offense."
"......"
"I'm offering to return your trump card. So take it and let me live."
"Why not just kill you and take the vial back?"
It was the most obvious thing in the world, but Hyren flinched.
I thought it was perfectly reasonable too—probably just panicking, his brain not turning properly.
That's when it happened.
Riiip.
Space suddenly tore open.
I shouted in alarm.
"It's Idria! Everyone, be careful!"
The party members snapped into combat readiness like lightning.
But Idria's true body didn't fully emerge.
Instead, just like last time when she tried to steal the Jewel of Corruption, she only extended an arm slightly from beyond the rift.
Drip, drip.
Idria's skin began to crack.
Black pus oozed from the fissures.
"What the? What's wrong with her?"
It was probably because of Trail, her natural counter, but since Trail was reluctant to reveal himself yet, I stayed quiet.
Then Idria's voice rang out.
"Who gave you permission to make deals like that? Sabak."
"I-Idria!"
"The Jewel of Greed is a treasure beyond measure. Using it as a bargaining chip for your worthless life? You're overstepping."
Hyren cried out with a face straight out of death's door.
"Idria! Please, please save me. Take me away with your spatial authority!"
"I'd love to, but Maide's technique is just too frightening. You think I can extract you from a guy who stops time?"
"Idria..."
"Kukuku. I don't fancy losing another wrist."
I quietly gauged the distance between Idria and me.
Definitely more than ten steps.
But if I used Quick Dash here to close the gap?
'Three seconds... no, two seconds to get within ten steps.'
I whispered to Neril.
"Can you do a flying spell?"
"Uh, yeah. Thanks to Adwin, basic magic like that is no problem. But why? You don't mean...?"
"Idria might let Hyren go, but she'll want the Jewel of Greed back. But that means Offense's sorcery is gone for good."
I couldn't let a party member's trump card be taken so easily.
Neril swallowed hard and cast the flying spell on me.
That's when it happened.
"Uwaaaah! Is that all I get after slaving like a dog for you?!"
"Shut it. Just toss the jewel over here."
"Eat shit. I'd rather..."
Whoosh.
Hyren hurled the jewel with all his might.
Toward us.
"What?"
Caught off guard, Jenia caught the Jewel of Greed.
'Damn it!'
In that instant.
Even though I wasn't Bion, time seemed to slow.
I'd never focused so intensely on one thing before.
Jenia had caught the Jewel of Greed.
Idria wanted to reclaim it.
'Then...?'
That demon king couldn't kill me, but she could kill my comrades.
If she reached for the jewel and 'while she's at it' pointed at Jenia with a finger?
What would happen to Jenia?
Would she die?
Crackle.
Just as I feared, space tore open right next to Jenia, inches from her face.
So very slowly. Incredibly slow.
So very quickly. Like lightning.
Trail. Eye of Omniscience...
I tried to shout it, but gave up.
'Even Trail can't time this.'
That was my gut feeling.
I had to slash.
Faster than 'Bind and Slash' with the Eye of Omniscience.
Not Jenia, but Idria's arm on the other side.
"Haaaaah!"
Every sense in my body sharpened to the limit.
I unleashed the technique faster than sound, faster than light.
'Slash What I Desire!'
My sword curved past Jenia's body.
Like a supple fish, the blade arced toward Idria's arm on the other side.
And severed her wrist.
Thud.
I saw Idria's wrist falling from the sky.
In that moment, time sped back to normal for me.
The party members, frozen like a still frame, finally reacted.
"Maide!"
"What... what just happened?"
"Bro, you didn't use that technique again... wait, no?"
"Why are you fine? No, good that you are."
"Ah! Look over there, everyone!"
Risel pointed to one spot.
Where Hyren had been.
Idria had extended her arm, pulling Hyren into her space.
For a split second, it felt like I'd been smashed with a hammer.
"Damn."
As Idria closed the rift, she said,
"Why no backlash this time? Maide Mohan. You always end up wrecked after that technique."
"I have a question too. Were you planning to save Hyren from the start? Not the Jewel of Greed."
"Not in the mood to answer."
"Then neither am I."
Idria's giggling laughter echoed.
"You're one stubborn bastard, never backing down."
Idria closed the space and vanished.
The others bombarded me with questions, but sorry—I was focused on my conversation with Trail.
[No excuses. I didn't sense a thing. Normally, I should've stopped time with the Eye of Omniscience.]
'It's fine. Not your fault.'
[But...]
'Let's check it out together. A new secret just formed between Idria and Hyren Gois.'
[Sigh. Alright.]
[Used Eye of Omniscience.]
[Current Eye of Omniscience level is 4. Viewable secret rank: A-rank.]
[Selection condition: 'Secret between Idria and Hyren Gois.']
[Secret rank: A-rank. Viewing.]
The screen showed Idria.
She was peeking at our side from beyond the spatial rift.
Our side... meaning when Hyren got hit by Offense's poison.
Idria had a 'secret conversation' with Hyren.
"You okay?"
-I-Idria! I'm fine. Don't come here!
"......"
-These past times serving you have been such joy...
"Cut the cheeky talk. Listen to my improvised plan."
Idria continued rapidly.
"I'll pretend to abandon you and go for the Jewel of Greed."
-Huh?
"Make Maide think I prioritize reclaiming the jewel over you. He'll focus on securing it."
-Ah.
"Toss the jewel their way. I'll pretend to retrieve it to distract Maide, and snag you in the meantime. Tedious, but otherwise I'll get wrecked by that technique again."
So that's how it was.
I'd been had.
Then Hyren asked,
-But won't I make you lose your wrist again?
"Even I can't afford to lose wrists over and over. If the time power is Bion's, he's probably reading my presence and timing it. So we need to block Bion from sensing me."
-Is that possible?
"I've already borrowed power from my second finger. It'll work, don't worry."
The second finger of lies!
Right.
With that guy's power, she could briefly surpass Bion's senses.
[What kinda guy is he?]
'In party terms, a supporter. Focus on the screen for now.'
Idria kept going.
"If all goes well, I might even kill one or two of Maide's comrades."
-Idria.
"Let's start. Think you can act the part?"
Hyren replied in utter gratitude.
- To go through such lengths for a lowly worm like me... I have no face.
"If you have no face, come back alive."
Idria continued in an astonishingly tender tone.
-Because you're my beloved child.
Snap.
The screen cut off.
Honestly, I was shocked.
I'd assumed that demon king would prioritize the Jewel of Greed over Hyren.
But saving him mattered far more to her.
'Really unexpected.'
Even the most brutal demon king loves her own children?
But then she ditched Ophelia pretty easily.
'Wait. Come to think of it...'
Ophelia rejected her, while the others accepted.
Humans and demon kings alike favor those who love them?
That's when I snapped back to reality.
My comrades were clustered right in front of me.
Neril asked first.
"Maide, no backlash from the technique this time? You're really okay?"
"You always worry about my body first."
"I-It applies to everyone. I just asked on their behalf."
Jenia smirked and said,
"To be precise, Neril always steals the timing to ask before we can."
"Shut up."
"Anyway, are you really okay, Maide?"
I nodded.
"Yeah. It was a bit different from my usual techniques."
"Huh?"
"I'll explain later."
"Okay. Oh! Right, I should've said this first. Thank you so much for saving me."
Jenia clasped her hands politely and bowed.
I felt awkwardly embarrassed and said,
"Saving a comrade in crisis is a given. If you get mushy over stuff like this, what'll you do going forward?"
"Hehe. That's so you, Maide."
"More importantly, the Jewel of Greed?"
"It's safe. Here."
I took the vial.
Up close, it really did look like shit.
I tossed it to Offense.
"Drink."
"......"
"Leave at least one drop. One drop and it'll refill."
"How do you know all this?"
"Stop dodging and drink."
Offense looked extremely reluctant as he opened the lid.
Was it my imagination?
It smelled like shit.
Offense glanced around warily and said,
"You said saving a comrade in crisis is natural, right? I'm in crisis now."
"Don't need shadow sorcery?"
"No, I mean share the pain. We all take a sip, and the whole party gets shadow sorcery."
It made sense, but I shook my head.
"You drink first then."
"......"
"What if Neril drinks first and it's one-use? What's a mage gonna do with assassination skills?"
Unable to argue, Offense's face twisted.
Then Neril formed hand seals.
"Huh?"
Offense's body froze solid.
Jenia pinched his nose shut.
Adwin pried open Offense's mouth.
Serein, with the freshest smile imaginable, poured the greed liquid into his mouth.
Gulp, gulp.
Glug.
Offense's throat bobbed.
Whoa. Didn't think they'd actually make him drink.
[You told him to drink, you cruel bastard.]
Serein shook the vial and said,
"The shit color's faded. Looks like you were right, Maide."
"Hm. One-use, then."
"Good thing Offense drank first. Lucky, Offense."
Risel couldn't bear to watch the horror and covered her eyes with her hands.
"I-Is it over?"
"Yeah. He's fine now. Scary, huh?"
"No... gross."
Offense lay sprawled on the ground.
I asked,
"What'd it taste like?"
"Shit."
Serein tilted her head and said,
"You sound like you've tried it. Shit."