This World Needs a Hero - Chapter 133

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Chapter 133

A factory site enveloped in complete darkness.

On the uneasy path in front of the prison entrance, Lev’s ears perked up as he anxiously paced around.

Tap, tap.

Familiar footsteps echoed.

“Over here!”

“Lev!”

Relieved, Lev supported the limping Iriya with a face that seemed on the verge of tears.

Seeing her, who had been taken separately because she was young, Lev had worried about all sorts of things.

Although the dust had messed up her appearance a bit, seeing the unharmed Iriya made Lev forget even his own lingering injuries.

“Where is that person?”

“He’s still below… let’s get out of here quickly.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

…Indeed.

The vibration of the earthquake continued.

Lev couldn’t even guess how fierce a battle was taking place underground.

One thing was certain, they had to follow the instructions to leave as quickly as possible.

With Iriya in one hand, Lev rushed towards the main gate.

It was at that moment.

“Excuse me! Snow Fox youth, please help us!”

Someone called out to him.

It was one of the wolf people who were still wandering around the factory site.

He looked desperate and sad, as if searching for something lost.

Lev quickly realized what had happened.

Most of the wolf people captured in the factory had come alone.

However, there were rare cases where entire families had fallen into the hands of humans.

The old and haggard wolf person was probably searching for a lost family.

Tears streaming down his face, he urgently called out to Lev.

“Your kind is good at tracking, right?”

Lev, waiting for Iriya, keenly felt his desperation and anxiety.

Lev couldn’t bring himself to move.

Iriya, who was in his arms, whispered softly.

“Lev, can we help him a little and then go?”

The middle-aged wolf person who confirmed that they had stopped looked relieved.
But at that moment.

Crack, crack!

The splitting ground swallowed him.

Without even collecting the bright expression on his face, the man was sucked into the underground without mercy.

As Lev and Iriya were left without a chance to react, a loud noise followed.

Kugugugugugung!

As if a giant monster was roaring from deep underground.

Powerful earthquakes swept through, buildings tilted in an instant, and the ground irregularly rose.

“Oh no!”

Lev’s face turned black.

The sensation of the hand that had been clasped together disappeared.

“Iriya!”

Struggling to stand on the shaking ground, Lev looked around.

And then, he found Iriya, who had been thrown forward and was lying on the ground.

Fortunately, she didn’t fall through the cracked gap, but the situation was still dreadful.

Whooosh!

Giant tentacles began to reveal themselves from below the ground.

As if eyes were attached to their ends, they approached the fallen Iriya directly.

In the thick shadow hanging over Iriya, who had not yet gotten up, Lev felt like he was about to vomit.

No matter what he did, he realized he wouldn’t reach Iriya in time.

“No…”

…Should he close his eyes?

Should he open them?

Still, someone had to remember her last moments.

Summoning courage, Lev looked straight ahead with eyes filled with tears.

Zzeooooong-

…An unexpected event unfolded.

In the place where the acrid dust settled, a massive ice wall separated the tentacles from Iriya.

Lev stared at the ice block, emitting a moonlight-like glow, with amazement.

The transparent crystals shone like jewels in the moonlight.

Piercing through the sticky and unpleasant air, the refreshing scent of a snowy plain wafted in.

…It was the scent of his hometown.

Cackling!

The tentacles that aimed for Iriya broke more than half of the ice wall but ultimately failed to penetrate.

In the gap created by the tentacles.

Someone grabbed the fallen Iriya and approached Lev.

A strong scent of blood and rough breathing.

…It was the man.

Lev noticed that he looked much more exhausted than before.

Although his jaw, clenched with anger and determination, remained the same, the muscles around him trembled from fatigue and tension.

A gentle voice followed.

“The children of the Great Snow sea really don’t listen.”

“We, we…”

“Leave this place. Quickly.”

As the ice wall blocking the tentacles melted, a deep blue aura began to emanate from the man’s body.

Thunk!

The thick hand pushed Lev’s back.

Lev, holding Iriya tightly as if promising not to let go again, ran.

But even though he knew he shouldn’t, he had to look back.

The tentacles were covering their benefactor like a wave.

Even though a pitch-black greatsword slashed and slashed again, the tentacles endlessly regenerated, trying to bury him.

…It looked precarious.

But there was nothing he could do.

Feeling helpless, he was running through the alley.

At that moment, a languid voice called out to Lev.

“Hey, little fox.”

“……?”

“Come here.”

At first, he tried to ignore it.

But her voice had an irresistible charm.

A gut feeling that something very bad would happen if he didn’t listen.

Lev stopped in his tracks.

…She was entirely a white woman.

From her hair and eyebrows to her skin, the robe she wore, and the long staff she held.

The only color she had was the blood-red pupils shining like jewels.

‘Who is she? Is she human…?’

Lev stared blankly at the woman’s hair, which shimmered like silver in the moonlight.

She seemed dissatisfied with something, and even her slightly wrinkled face was very beautiful.

Her pale and slender fingers pointed somewhere.

She pointed with her pale, slender fingers.

“Over there, you see that building across? If you go into the innermost room on the first floor, there should be a Life Vessel… or, well, a vessel. Quickly, go and break it.”

“Yes, yes?”

“Quit babbling and get going. You should at least repay the favor to the one who saved your life, shouldn’t you?”

Pushed forward abruptly, Larze confirmed that he entered the building across.

Larze finally let out a deep sigh.

Since she had deactivated all defense artifacts and barriers, there shouldn’t be any danger.

‘…Maybe I made a deal that’s not worth the trouble.’

With a rare and exhausted expression, Larze looked towards the battlefield.

She had faced mostly undead in the factory area.

No, it might have been since she set foot in the hideouts of the organizations in Harlem.

The escaping werewolves looked at her with eyes mixed with curiosity and wariness.

But Larze’s gaze was solely directed towards the ‘fake’ engaged in battle with the tentacles, showing no hesitation in his eyes.

In this boring and superficial scenery, it was the only thing worth seeing.

Kaga-ga-gak!

There was no sign of hesitation in his charge towards the wriggling tentacles.

Save and protect.

That desperate desire seemed to lash out at him like a whip.

Both his stamina and mana seemed to be at their limits; his movements were much more sluggish than before.

As one fake utilized its unique combat sense, it somehow managed to keep the battle on equal terms.

Sgak!

Activating the ‘Domain’ ability of the Black Hope, he lightened the greatsword, conserving as much mana and stamina as possible.

Then, at the right moment to deal effective damage, he momentarily increased the mass of the greatsword, maximizing its destructive power.

‘He’s making good use of what he has.’

Among all of his abilities, what caught her attention the most was the timely substitution of replicable abilities while relentlessly pressing the necromancer.

‘Ho.’

Larje’s eyes widened.

Secretive records about the Doppelganger that she acquired long ago came to mind.

“He’s maintaining the shell and only changing the essence.”

It was a considerably ‘evolved’ state of the polymorph.

‘Could it be that he reached that stage through guidance from Gaho and the Iris of Laplace?’

It surely wasn’t an easy process.

Her eyes sparkled with interest.

‘It’s becoming intriguing.’

* * *

Chiiiiiiing-

A sizzling sound arose as the scorched metal met flesh.

The heat generated from excessive use of Nova was the cause.

The continuous burning of fluids within the body made it seem like glass shards were flowing through his veins.

He was well aware that if he wasn’t a Doppelganger capable of self-recovery, he would have died several times already.

…It was painful.

But the hottest and most painful heat was brewing due to another reason.

When he saw the half-severed tail of the Foxfolk child.

Perhaps it was the moment when he faced the undead in the factory area, or maybe even earlier.

No, it might have been since he set foot in the hideouts of the organizations in Harlem.

Feeling the eruption of pent-up emotions, the Hero ran towards the necromancer’s main body buried in the tentacles.

Tuung-!

Swinging the sword, he deflected one tentacle that shot directly at him.

Then, using the rebound, he rotated a half-turn and severed it.

The tentacles were incredibly tough, thick, and slippery.

Unless the attack was precise in timing and target, no matter how powerful the attack, it would be deflected.

With precise timing, with precise aiming, the Hero moved, fully concentrated.

Pada-da-da-dak-

The two tentacles that were targeting him writhed for a moment before falling to the ground.

But he couldn’t relax yet.

Zhaaaa-!

The violent wriggling of the tentacles only ceased after the tentacles were covered by the frozen surface cut by the Hero.

This follow-up action was necessary because if it was simply left cut, it would be combined with the main body in the blink of an eye.

In an instant, his vision was spinning with the disappearing mana.

The Hero breathed heavily and stood up straight.

The soil floor soaked in black blood was damp enough that no more dust would rise.

‘…How much is left?’

He tried to estimate with his hazy eyes.

Now about thirty steps until the necromancer’s main body.

The tentacles he had incapacitated were about twenty or so.

It seemed to be a much weaker state than when they first encountered in the underground.

The problem was that his condition wasn’t that great either.

‘Nova or Halo activation, maybe once.’

The remaining mana was enough for only one decisive blow.

The restorative power of the Polymorph was not infinite.

Because he was currently in a state of simultaneously duplicating several essesnces, the limit was approaching.

…The fortunate thing was that the necromancer seemed to feel even more desperate.

“Oh, irrational monster! You should know how far you’ve deviated from the path of God!”

He seemed to want to finish the fight quickly, releasing almost all the tentacles.

One thick, red tentacle, which looked about three times thicker than the others, curled protectively around the main body, guarding its position.

It was the biggest obstacle.

Swaaaaack-!

Swooosh!

First, he erected an ice wall to block the front from all directions.

As wide as it was, it couldn’t completely stop the tentacles due to its thinness.

One, he just needed one opportunity to open a momentary gap.

Quajik-!

The ice wall was quickly shattered.

The tentacles swiftly overcame it and approached.

It didn’t matter.

Since he had already covered the ground with ice, he slid, avoiding the tentacles.

“You’re quite skilled!”

Now, just twenty steps to the necromancer.

The tentacles swirled, ruthlessly striking the Hero on the ground.

The Hero, holding the Black Hope like a shield, continued to slide forward.

Despite the tentacles raining down like a drizzle, they rarely hit him due to his fast sliding speed.

Each blow, however, was forceful enough to leave deep imprints in the ground.

Thud!

The infrequent hits were powerful enough to shatter the bones in the Hero’s arm and shoulder, causing him to feel dreadful pain.

“…!”

▼
Connecting to the Key of Valber.
▲

Acrimson liquid-filled flask descended from the void.

It was a combat stimulant obtained in Harlem with excellent effects.

Although it had severe side effects and couldn’t be sold openly, it was perfect for the current situation.

Madness and intense rage surged through his body, washing away any traces of pain, fear, and hesitation.

“AAGHHHH!!”

The Hero shouted angrily, rising from his position.

Now, just ten steps remained.

However, he sensed something strange at that moment.

‘The movement of the tentacles…’

They became abnormally agitated.

The necromancer’s face, faintly visible, seemed unusual as well.

It displayed a look as if receiving a decisive blow.

The details were unclear.

But one thing was clear: he couldn’t miss this moment.

‘Hoo.’

The Hero took a deep breath, adjusting his grip on the sword.

Unbeknownst to him, all the remaining tentacles had been retracted, forming a barrier in front of the necromancer’s main body.

In an instant, a wall of tentacles resembling a tangled mass of snakes appeared.

He needed to break through it.

What to do and how to do it, he had already witnessed a few hours ago.

The mage standing in the background as the sunset painted the sky, the continuous flow of mana surging around her.

He remembered the concentration and condensation that produced an unimaginable destructive force.

Wooooong!

The Hero poured everything he had into the Black Hope.

At the same time, he released all the other essences and focused on one.

The force gathering around the sword began to surge.

In an instant, the power reached its threshold, and he refined and compressed it.

[Impressive imitation. But, are you okay? Using the body on the verge of breaking like that…]

A languid voice echoed, a voice reminiscent of Asrai.

[PR/N: Asrai are aquatic fairies that are often depicted as female and live in lakes. They are similar to mermaids and nixies, and can live for centuries. Asrai are associated with freshwater lakes, rivers, and ponds, and only surface to bathe in the moonlight.]

The damaged body expressed agony due to the excessive use of mana.

The heated blade burned into the flesh.

In the midst of the haziness, the Hero recalled memories to surpass the pain.

The face of the demi-human girl with cheeks filled with food, laughing heartily, and the wrinkled, scar-covered face dripping with sweat.

‘Hoo.’

The Hero took a deep breath.

Beyond the pain, the recollection of memories seemed to blur.

‘It’s not different. They are not different. What’s different is the…’

Swoooosh!

A wave of pure white light, an unbelievably powerful Halo was shot out using mana that was on the verge of depletion.

The radiant flash engulfed the tentacle wall and extended into the dark night sky over the factory grounds.

That was the end of it.

Thud!

The necromancer’s upper body, stained with blood, detached from the tentacles and fell to the ground.

The Hero stood upright, looking at the comments filling his vision.

▼
In the darkness and cold, those who had wandered gathered in front of the flames.
▲

▼
‘Ted Redymer’s Memory’ – Some of the related seals have been removed.
Recorded character: ‘Rosalyn Requiem – Through her, you can access memories that were previously restricted.
▲

▼
Salvation Ritual: ‘Third Flare’ has been unlocked.
▲

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