Chapter 158
Chapter 158
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: Attack (3)
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Only then did I let out a sigh of relief. It wouldn’t have been strange to find her collapsed on the ground, but Esterize was still standing. Of course, she was far from unscathed.
Her clothes were torn in places, and gruesome wounds covered her body. She must have summoned every last ounce of her strength just to endure.
Her arms and legs trembled. Her breaths came in ragged gasps… She was a wreck in every sense of the word, but I couldn't have been prouder.
This is what a Hero is. She had performed a miracle, holding on to the very end with her unyielding will. If I could, I would have pulled her into a hug right then and there.
I wanted to comfort her, no matter what it took, but the situation didn't allow for it. Barroc was still radiating a powerful presence… The battle was far from over.
He had sword wounds here and there, but he had taken relatively little damage. Still, this was an impressive defense. I wasn't confident I could have done as well.
“…”
He stared blankly at Esterize, as if in shock. It seemed he was speechless at the tenacity of the Hero he had dismissed as a brat. I took the opportunity to quickly support Esterize.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I managed to hold on somehow…”
She forced a faint smile, ignoring the pain. It seemed she didn't want to worry me, but I hadn't expected her to be so stubborn even in a situation like this.
“He really is strong. I guess it means I still have a long way to go…”
She let out a self-deprecating laugh, saying she'd nearly been defeated instead of taking him down. She seemed to be blaming herself for the fact that she had been completely overwhelmed, only barely managing to survive. No, I'm telling you, I'm proud of you.
“Forget that. Take care of yourself first. But why didn't you use an elixir?”
The almighty elixir. A miracle item that restored one's health and mana with a single dose. If she had used one, she wouldn't have been this badly injured.
“It’s a waste.”
“Are you serious…?”
“I was going to drink it if I really thought I was going to die.”
“Drink one now.”
“I can just get healed by Luciel.”
Was it because she had lived in poverty? Her frugality was practically ingrained in her. She could drink as many as she wanted since I'd duplicated a ton with the bug…
Soon, Luciel came over and showered her with healing spells. I only felt relieved after confirming that the color was rapidly returning to Esterize's face.
“Rest up.”
I took the Holy Sword from her. The Holy Sword would be advantageous against one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
“Be careful. I'm sure you'll do fine, but that thing is a real monster.”
My head nodded on its own. I had to abandon any thought of winning. I just needed to follow the flow of the original story. Barroc's unique ability consumed a great deal of mana and had its limits. After whittling down his strength as much as possible, he would choose to flee when we ganged up on him.
When I looked at Luciel, she nodded as if she understood and cast her buffs on me. Without the Saintess's buffs, I might be taken down in a single blow. She offered a refreshing cheer.
“Take him out in one strike. I believe in you.”
“…”
Sorry, that's impossible… At this point, he was a formidable enemy I couldn't defeat alone no matter what I did. An immutable truth of the world. There's no hero against a mob. Ganging up was the only justice here.
Just as I finished my preparations, Barroc began to move slowly. I was almost grateful for his consideration in giving me plenty of time. Well, he was only dazed because things hadn't gone as he'd expected.
In any case, his eyes widened as if he were determined to take my head this time. Hmm, it would be troublesome if he took someone else…
I stepped forward and pointed the Holy Sword at him. It was a silent provocation, daring him to use his ability on me. As expected of one of the Four Heavenly Kings, he didn't shy away from my challenge.
“I see. You've come seeking your grave.”
“As I said before, we'll see about that. It's a bit much to keep bluffing after what you've already been through.”
“Hmph, you arrogant brat…”
And just like that, I was invited into the space of darkness. The moment I sensed Barroc's form vanish, he was already in front of me.
“—!!”
He unleashed a flurry of attacks with murderous intent. This was his domain, so his physical abilities were temporarily enhanced. Overwhelming speed and power. I was too busy just blocking to even think about a counterattack.
“I had my doubts, but that girl from before was stronger. Frankly, I'm disappointed.”
“…”
He sneered, overflowing with confidence. Meanwhile, I didn't even have the energy to retort. A slight miscalculation had occurred. The true strength of a Heavenly King surpassed my expectations.
I quickly figured out the problem. We were on completely different levels. I had never fought an opponent this strong before. I needed time to adapt.
Our princess had been in the same situation, but she was a genius born with an innate sense for battle. She was on a different plane from someone who had hastily boosted their skills with cheats.
-Thwack!
In the end, I allowed a clean hit. Barroc's blow sent me flying. Fresh blood gushed from my mouth. The pain was so unimaginable that I nearly lost consciousness. In an instant, I was practically half a corpse…
Wait, how did Esterize endure this? He seemed to be taking this more seriously than before because he'd failed once, but still… this was completely ridiculous.
I'd been somewhat aware of it, but this confirmed it: my skills were all inflated. Well, that didn't matter. It was a problem that could be solved by inflating them even more.
From now on, I won't be yielding the final blow to anyone. I'll take them all for myself. I'll show them the true meaning of monopoly.
“Things didn't go as planned here and there, but it all worked out for me in the end.”
Barroc's grin widened, thinking he could finally finish off the Hero. He's faced generations of Heroes, yet the fool still doesn't know that it's not over until it's over.
“You don't seem to have the strength to get up. Just die…”
“I let you get a few hits in, and you're already celebrating?”
“—??”
He was quite taken aback by my sudden rise to my feet. As if he couldn't believe what he was seeing, he was busy denying reality. The almighty elixir is just that broken. What a sweet taste.
“Alright, let's go again.”
At my will, the Holy Sword began to glow. A special skill of the Holy Sword: a portion of mana is converted into holy power. Holy power is a weakness of the demon race. Even a Heavenly King would be quite wary of it.
Of course, that alone was far from enough. My goal was to reduce his strength as much as possible anyway. I had also gotten used to his movements, so I wouldn't be defeated as easily as before.
“I don't know what trick you pulled, but it changes nothing!”
His ferocity intensified. I gritted my teeth and faced him. A fierce exchange of blows ensued… I took more hits, but I managed to land a few stabs with the Holy Sword in between.
Was it because I faced death several times? I could feel my skills improving in real time. My growth had been slow as it was, and somehow he knew and was helping me out. Hmm, so the Four Heavenly Kings exist to raise the Hero after all?
Before long, the curtain of darkness lifted. I'd held out better than expected. Embarrassingly, I had drunk five elixirs… but as long as the result is good, that's all that matters, right? Since I'd duplicated a ton with the bug, it was a small price to pay.
“…”
Look at that. Barroc was dazed again. He must have been completely serious this time, yet even that had failed. He even seemed to be seriously contemplating whether his skills had gotten rusty.
I ignored him and looked at my comrades. They were visibly relieved to see me safe. Even though my body was a mess, they all cheered, perhaps because I was relatively alright.
“Wow! Jace is amazing, as expected!”
“Hmm, from the looks of it, it seemed like an even exchange.”
“Was Jace always that strong? I thought he was on the same level as Esterize…”
“Maybe it's because Esterize weakened him first…”
“Me? Absolutely not. That's just Jace's true strength.”
“Tch, he's reached a level we can't even dream of now.”
Endless praise, and a misunderstanding… My face flushed hot. S-stop… It was all thanks to the elixirs! Barroc, who fought both of us, already gave his review. Esterize is stronger, and I'm a disappointment.
I don't even know anymore. No one would believe me if I told them the truth. They'd probably just scold me for being needlessly humble.
I glanced over my companions. Our princess seemed to have recovered while I was fighting. Her condition was likely far from perfect, but she could probably continue the fight.
The same went for the others. They had used up a good deal of energy, but they still had plenty left. Moreover, their morale was high, so I expected things to go smoothly from here.
“Are you really okay?”
Aruru came right up to me and looked up with worried eyes. It naturally reminded me of a pet whimpering beside its injured owner. I gave her a gentle smile and replied that I could still fight.
“Really? Then let's hurry up and finish him. We have to get revenge.”
Huh? Did someone die in the meantime? Why the sudden talk of revenge? Our little cutie uncharacteristically hardened her expression and clenched her adorable fists.
“We have to defeat him so we can face Ilensia, who left us first.”
“—??”
“Is she really dead? Hmm, it's almost certain. I've checked several times, and I can't feel Ilensia's presence.”
What? The elf girl's presence is gone? Isn't she just holding her breath and hiding? No matter how I looked at it, that seemed more plausible… It was most likely Aruru's mistake.
Besides, you two didn't even get along, did you? Ilensia was the one who unilaterally disliked Aruru, but Aruru wasn't particularly fond of Ilensia either. So why are you suddenly acting like you care?
“You only feel the lonely void they leave behind after they're gone. That's just life.”
“…”
She occasionally spouts such mature words, and it catches me off guard every time. It's such a mismatch, hearing that come from her tiny body and adorable face…
Well, whatever. The chances of it being true were slim, but this gave us the justification of avenging a comrade. Now that we'd had a moment to breathe, it was time to resume the battle. We all turned to face Barroc in unison.
“Look at him. He looks pretty tired compared to before.”
“Even a Heavenly King has his limits.”
They weren't wrong; Barroc's mana was considerably depleted. He could still unleash powerful attacks, but they would grow noticeably weaker over time.
It was because he had used his unique ability consecutively. He could probably use it a couple more times, but after that, he himself would be in danger.
“…”
He showed a hint of hesitation. It seemed using his unique ability was indeed a burden. In the end, he switched his stance to a direct confrontation. Now that it had come to this, there was no real crisis to speak of. I faced the fight with a much more relaxed mind.