The Thirteenth Research - Godslayer (4)

The essence of adventurers was that they were an armed band forever chasing the dream of striking it rich in a single haul. The only real difference from mercenaries was that they killed monsters instead of people.

But human hunting is unskilled labor, while monster hunting is skilled labor. That’s why adventurers enjoy far better treatment than mercenaries.

Mastering a professional craft demanded patience and intelligence. Thanks to that, adventurers boasted superior human capital, which meant far fewer incidents of public disturbance compared to common sellswords.

Add the public’s craving for heroes and the bards’ vested interest in spinning grand tales, and you naturally create a culture that exalts wandering bands of killers by calling them adventurers.

Yet even he felt the sudden impulse to raise these adventurers up as true heroes, at least for the moment.

“Look at me———!”

The hero’s provocative war cry seized the attention of the devil infantry. Hundreds of demons hurled their attacks at a single human.

“Haaah——!”

Yet the hero swung sword and shield as though possessed. The holy sword spat lightning to disrupt their assaults while the dragonscale shield nullified incoming spells.

“The captain’s drawn their eyes! Begin the attack!”

“Blizzard!”

“Flame Strike!”

“Arcane Explosion!”

The adventurer mages unleashed wide-area spells centered on the hero, sweeping the devil infantry away. Alberic endured the magical backlash by relying on cascading heals and his formidable gear.

“Captain! Second wave incoming!”

“Same as before. All troops, forward!”

This time, nightmarish hellbeasts charged forward, belching sulfurous flame. The adventurers scattered instantly. The warrior-class fighters stepped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to the fore, drawing the beasts’ aggression, while the hero ignored them completely and charged straight at Hell Tamer Devron.

“Insolent mortal who does not even recognize his opponent! I’ll whip some sense into that thick skull of yours!”

Hell Tamer Devron was a muscular devil who commanded beasts with a whip. As Balor’s lieutenant, the transcendent being stood above level 50.

“Let’s see what you can do, devil!”

The hero lowered his stance and poured every ounce of focus into defense. Alberic’s swordplay was superb, but his shieldwork was positively inspired. To onlookers it seemed as though he were wielding several shields at once.

“What a nuisance! I’ll deal with you later!”

“Look at meeeeeeeee———!”

Whenever the hell tamer grew weary of defending and turned toward the ranged attackers, the hero instantly switched to offense and landed a threatening blow. In this way he forced the devil into a one-on-one duel.

“So that is what you called tanking?”

“Correct.”

“This one must perform the same feat.”

The beautiful silver serpent, roused from hibernation, observed the battlefield with keen interest.

“It will require exceptionally refined senses.”

“Which is why skilled tanks command exorbitant prices. They perform the most dangerous and vital role in any dungeon raid.”

No matter how exceptional the human, a direct hit from a high-ranking devil meant instant death. Yet the hero moved with fluid grace, deflecting or blocking every strike. When necessary he twisted like an acrobat or deliberately took blows on non-vital areas.

“I cannot tell whether he is a warrior or a circus performer…”

“The martial arts required to face monsters and transcendent beings must differ from those used against humans.”

He added.

“This is why humans no longer offer living sacrifices to monsters. It is far more efficient to spend treasure hiring adventurers.”

Had the silver serpent been born in the present age, she would have been hunted as a monster. Or forced to flee into the wilderness where humans never tread.

“You are saying this one was fortunate.”

“Indeed.”

“I shall not deny it.”

“Even your gods are beings forged from mortal worship. Therefore, when mortals change, the gods must change with them. It is necessary for survival.”

When Karamsan civilization collapsed, its gods had lost their divinity alongside it. As a result, none of the deities from the Karamsan pantheon remained in the present world.

“That much I understand, yet…”

The silver serpent asked, voice tinged with curiosity.

“Why, then, is the Sun God the supreme deity?”

“Because the sun is fair to all.”

“A god who treats everyone equally would have no reason to be worshipped. Mortals cling to religion precisely because they seek divine favoritism, do they not?”

The ancient gods, including the silver serpent, had been deeply human. They walked the earth in human form, thought and felt like humans, bestowed favor on those they liked and cast aside those they did not. In that era, such behavior had been considered divine.

“That may have been true in ancient times.”

But.

Times had changed.

“Modern people expect gods to transcend humanity. They hope that by imitating such transcendent beings they themselves might one day reach eternity.”

Thus the Sun God, once a minor deity, had become the chief god of the age. The sun always shone with impartial radiance upon the world.

…

In the hero’s desperate struggle against a transcendent devil, the silver serpent read humanity’s desire to become transcendent themselves.

“Humans of the past would have sought us without fail when facing devils. Or relied upon the demigods who carry our blood…”

Yet the hero did not beg for divine favor even while battling devils. He had received a goddess’s blessing, but the relationship was closer to alliance than worship. In the end, the legendary Alberic fought relying solely on his own strength and courage.

“Haa!”

The hero’s holy sword split the hell tamer’s armor. Enraged by the constant provocation, Devron entered a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠berserk state.

“Now I will truly kill you, insignificant worm!”

“Final phase! Everyone, maximum firepower!”

At the hero’s command the adventurers launched an all-out assault. Projectiles fell like rain and brilliant spells flashed from every direction. The hell tamer realized something had gone wrong, but it was already too late to escape.

“Khaaaaaaaaaaagh——!”

When the hero severed the hell tamer’s head and raised it on a pike, the hellbeasts fled. Even the iron-disciplined devil army halted its advance, visibly shaken.

The hero’s bravado seemed excessive, yet it was not unpleasant. A vanguard needed overconfidence; no sane person would willingly take on such a role.

“Captain! The devils are attacking again!”

“They’re just small fry! Wipe them out!”

The devils’ fierce assaults continued, but they achieved nothing. Under the hero’s command the adventurers held the devil army at bay and eliminated the high-ranking demons. By the time the corpses of devils had piled into small mountains—

The adventurers regrouped as the reorganized royal army and orc warriors joined the fray. They could not defeat the devil legions, but they bought precious time.

“Hold! The hero will defeat them!”

“Do you wish to be called greater cowards than humans?!”

The hell mage corps began preparing another offensive spell. They intended to cast the same flame storm that had devastated the orcs earlier.

At last the elven knights hidden among the clouds revealed themselves. They rode gigantic eagles whose wingspans exceeded ten meters. The hell mages snorted and raised a barrier.

“We knew of your presence long ago!”

“We shall shoot you down with hell’s superior magic!”

Yet the eagle riders did not descend as the devils expected. Instead they released the heavy objects clutched in their talons.

“You didn’t expect this, did you, foolish devils!”

Rocks?

Just rocks?

“You think mere stones can——!”

Crunch!

The boulder dropped by Glorimmar fell at terrifying speed, shattering the barrier instantly and smashing the hell mage commander into a bloody pulp.

“What…?”

“What is this…?”

“Why is the rock so fast…?”

The blood-drenched boulder extended arms and legs, revealing its true form.

“I-it’s a stone troll!”

“The stone trolls have returned!”

“Trolls! Troooolls——!”

The true identity of the falling stones was a unit of stone trolls dropped from the sky. In particular, Olgoldugolro—released by Glorimmar—had channeled the full kinetic force of freefall into her body, crushing the hell mage commander flat.

“Demons! This humble Olgoldugolro has returned far stronger thanks to the wisdom of her father! The time has come to receive instruction on harmony once more!”

Having faced a great demon, Olgoldugolro had ascended to an even higher realm. Holy energy rippled across the body of the monk who no longer feared death.

“Olgoldugolro Style!”

Thud!

She stamped her right foot, hardening her entire body, then—

“Spinning Angle!”

—whirled her left leg like a storm, sweeping everything around her. The barrier formation that had prevented the elves’ aerial assault was obliterated.

“The time has come to prove our superiority to these inferior species! For Her Majesty the Queen!”

Where the troll monks had sown chaos, the giant eagles dove like thunderbolts. The glory-starved elven knights mercilessly cut down the hell mages.

“Ambassador! We must retreat now!”

“A shame! But you are correct!”

The elves and trolls eliminated only the mages before withdrawing swiftly. Having lost all means of intercepting aerial targets, the devil army could only watch helplessly.

【…】

Balor, who had been calmly observing the battle while suppressing his excitement, surveyed the field with cold eyes. His legions were struggling or retreating on every ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠front.

【The mastermind is truly impressive.】

It was no longer a situation that could be salvaged by deploying the Four Heavenly Kings. There was only one way to reverse a battle that had grown this hopeless.

【To force me to take the field myself!】

The great demon of destruction stepped forward. When he planted his foot the earth trembled; when he exhaled the air grew thick. At Balor’s advance the devils cheered wildly while the mortals lost all will to fight.

The Hammer Lord tried to rally the royal army, but even the knights refused to answer. Even Rodrick felt the urge to flee.

“Listen, human.”

At that moment, Blacktusk, who had been retreating obediently, spoke.

“Even when one accepts that victory is impossible, courage is still required. Therefore do not consider the sage’s order shameful.”

…

“Leave the task of defeating the great demon to those stronger than ourselves. Our duty is to look after our subordinates. Is that not the responsibility of a leader?”

Rodrick nodded and gave the order to retreat. Humans and orcs withdrew without exception, leaving only the hero’s adventurer party and the high elves.

“Receive this elder’s blade, vile demon!”

“Disgusting pointy-eared bastards!”

Glorimmar and the elven knights circled Balor, harassing him relentlessly. Even though comrades who failed to dodge the flaming whips met gruesome deaths, the elven knights never ceased their daring flight. In the end Glorimmar succeeded in carving a cross-shaped scar upon Balor’s forehead.

“Haa!”

“Kraaaaaaaa——!”

Balor wasted considerable time dealing with Glorimmar. Thanks to that delay, Tellorian completed the second great spell using a massive magic formation.

The moment the spell took effect, sacred flames enveloped the hero’s body. His mortal nature was washed away as the immortality of divinity seeped in.

“Hoo…”

The deified hero filled everyone with awe. Golden light blazed in his eyes and a halo formed behind his head. It was a glimpse of the possibility his soul might one day attain.

“…Immortality is quite pleasant.”

The magic Tellorian had created only offered a taste of that possibility, yet it was more than enough to give hope to the mortals staring down a great demon.

“I’ll kill you with one strike, ox-head.”

The hero grew until he matched Balor in size. He had consumed the Titan’s Elixir he had brought precisely for an emergency.

“At this moment not even the kings of hell are my match!”

“A mere insect dares spout nonsense while relying on cheap tricks! You will not die easily!”

The giant hero, supported by his comrades, fought Balor on equal footing. Every clash of their blades split mountains and shattered the earth. All living beings gathered on the holy mountain trembled in fear at the mythic battle.

“Hmm…”

Yet the silver goddess alone was an exception.

“So this is the power with which you claimed to be a god of destruction?”

A soft chuckle escaped her.

“You may rest easy now, dear magician.”

Your goddess shall bring you victory.