This World Needs a Hero - Chapter 200

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Chapter 200

…Inside the Stellar Rift.

Tap-

As Kalende rushed towards the Hero, she thought to herself.

‘I never thought I’d have to use this power.’

There was one reason why she hesitated to activate Malekia’s factor even in dire situations in the past.

The act carried a significant penalty… and could possibly lead to her death.

Under normal circumstances, for a non-demonic being to use demonic energy, it was necessary to undergo a process of dilution.

It was customary to combine and refine one’s mana and demonic energy in the body externally, then reintroduce it into the body.

Demonic energy was an extra-dimensional energy that came from ‘gates.’

If the beings of this world were to absorb it without filtration, their bodies would collapse due to severe immune reactions.

Therefore, the executives of the Demonic Church always accumulated and used demonic energy through such means, and naturally, Kalende was no exception.

However, at the moment of activating Malekia’s factor, the ‘core’ penetrated into her body.

A cursed mechanism that converts all existing energy into demonic energy.

Even the most durable Homunculi couldn’t withstand it for long.

Kalende endured severe pain.

‘…It doesn’t matter.’

Anyway, this battle wouldn’t drag on for long.

Kalende was certain of that.

‘Look.’

Sweeping-

Unseen blades cut through Kalende’s hand, and red blood flowed.

The sturdy sensation in her hand indicated that the Hero had been fatally wounded.

‘No matter how resilient the Homunculus is, they can’t continue the battle with such a wound.’

…The fight was already over with the first strike.

She thought so.

“…?”

But the moment she met those glowing iris, still shining blue.

Kalende couldn’t help but realize that something was wrong.

Swoosh-

Black Hope swung in a state of being pierced by the blade of severance.

Its destination was her neck.

The Hero’s swordsmanship, even in a state of being critically injured, was too fast and accurate to have been extended.

Had she not immediately taken evasive action, her neck would have been severed.

“What…?”

Thud-

Kalende fell backward, clutching her neck as blood gushed out like a fountain.

Her neck was halfway severed.

Snap-

Simultaneously, the Hero, freed from the blade of severance, also fell to the ground.

As he struggled to stand up, Kalende’s red irises, seeing him, shook violently.

Swoosh-

As if time were flowing backward, the Hero’s wounds were healing.

It wasn’t just ‘regeneration’ or ‘recovery.’

The Hero’s body was rapidly returning to its original state, to the extent that the term ‘restoration’ would be more appropriate.

‘…What is this?’

Of course, Kalende’s own wounds on her neck were also being healed in real-time.

But this was a phenomenon caused by Malekia’s factor.

Malekia’s demonic energy had the property of ‘regeneration.’

However, the Hero’s body healed much faster than Kalende’s.

Kalende realized that some unknown force was acting upon her.

;…What exactly is going on?’

Kalende was certain that the fake Hero was a Homunculus created as a substitute for the real one.

Therefore, it was only natural to expect that Ted Redymer’s factor would be synthesized with him.

[TL/N: I think factor here means the same thing as essence? But that’s just what I think, let’s see if more info is provided in the future.]

So she wasn’t surprised that he was using the Hero’s swordsmanship and techniques.

But whose factor was responsible for this ‘restoration’?

Whose factor could surpass Malekia’s regeneration ability, the Queen of Agony?

‘It definitely doesn’t belong to a human.’

Kalende smirked.

‘The person who created you is also nasty.’

…But it didn’t matter.

Regardless of whose factor he received, it was obvious that this fake was weaker than her.

Didn’t she just effortlessly thwart his attacks like child’s play?

Kiiiiing-

Kalende generated the blade of severance again and lunged forward.

“You’ll resent your abilities.”

An overwhelming force erupted from her entire body.

In front of it, his tricks would lose their power.

The Hero immediately activated Nova in response…

“Too slow!”

Before his techniques could fully manifest, Kalende charged towards him.

Swoosh-

His arm severed, it flew into the air.

But before a drop of blood could spill, he restored it again.

Thanks to the Stellar Rift, his Polymorph speed was enhanced.

Whoooom-

The Hero managed to catch the falling Black Hope in reverse.

As if waiting for it, a blow was directed at Kalende.

Of course, she easily crushed it…

“Hah!”

Realizing that he deliberately extended his arm, Kalende chuckled.

“Even with that ability, there must be a limit. How long do you think you can keep it up?”

The Hero’s mouth twitched.

“It wasn’t an answer to her question.

“…Moves swiftly.”

“…Continues the battle despite pain and injury.”

“…The enemy becomes dull and stops.”

…Paradox?

Kalende felt herself ensnared by an intangible force but quickly shrugged it off.

“Pathetic.”

Malekia was one of the ‘Three Greatest.’

Now that her factor had reached its limit, Kalende’s power rivaled that of most lower-ranking generals.

Tap-

Enveloped in omnipotence, she charged forward once more at a speed that defied comprehension.

“Let’s see if you can regenerate even if your neck is severed!”

Swoosh-

Before the words could finish, the Hero’s wrists were severed.

But his iris remained calm, as usual.

Like someone aiming for something clear-cut.

* * *

The Hero knew it would be a tough fight.

Even if Ted’s understanding increased and he mastered the Fourth ritual, he was already exhausted from the relentless battles.

On the other hand, Kalende’s mana seemed to spring forth infinitely, and her exceptionally pure demonic energy dramatically boosted her physical abilities.

Even if he pushed Nova to its limit, it barely left a trace.

If not for the corrections from the Stellar Rift and the paradox ability, his neck would have been severed by now.

Thunk-

The Hero rolled on the ground, sacrificing his limbs countless times to preserve his life.

Both his mental and physical strength were nearing their limits.

But he persevered till the end.

…It was thanks to Kalende’s expression distorting at every moment.

Finally, she stood tall, staring at the Hero as if confronting something impossible.

“…How?”

The Hero could anticipate her next words.

“You’ve never faced this ability before…!”

The reason why severance was terrifying to non-demonic energy users was that, regardless of skill level, they would be defenseless against it upon first encounter.

A blade unseen, whose length and width changed according to one’s will.

It goes without saying how daunting it could be.

Most didn’t even realize the fight had begun before their heads went flying.

A supremely dominant attack that could establish overwhelming superiority in an instant.

The Hero chuckled.

“…Never faced it.”

Swoosh-

As he restored the wound on his thigh, he stood upright.

An attack that would have cleaved through his body moments ago now only left a scratch.

“That’s not possible.”

It was purely her misconception.

He had faced severance dozens, if not hundreds, of times.

He had experienced all sorts of bizarre attacks using that invisible blade.

He had internalized how fast it extended, how far it reached, and what preparatory actions were involved.

“…So is the severance currently under the control of the current Demonic Church Leader?”

“Yes. She inherited the power of the former Demonic Church Leader that returned after his death.”

This was immediately after the spectral being they met in the demonic realm revealed that the current Demonic Church Leader was the owner of severance.

Based on the combat data left by the former Demonic Church Leader that Ted stored in the Iris of Laplace.

With this, he utilized all the functions of the Avatar Training to ‘learn’ severance.

“Could I have come to kill you without even preparing that much?”

Achieving victory through sheer force might be difficult.

When there’s a significant power gap, no matter how well you understand your opponent, winning can be challenging.

But achieving victory through meticulous preparation is entirely possible.

If you completely penetrate your opponent and learn their responses… you’ll never be in danger.

The current outcome proved this.

The Hero looked at the staggering Kalende.

Ten minutes had passed since she unleashed her demonic energy.

Her time was running out.

“Hack… Hack…”

Her once resilient body was gradually collapsing.

The overwhelming demonic energy had already greatly diminished.

Thud-

A hollow sound echoed.

“…Cowardly!”

A voice steeped in malice.

As if unable to believe the current situation, her eyes were bloodshot, almost bursting.

The Hero knew she would self-destruct if left alone.

His victory had been hard-won.

“……”

But for some reason.

With the sword in hand, the Hero approached her.

“Ah…”

Hesitant-

As the distance between her and the Hero narrowed, life returned to her emaciated face.

Perhaps she thought the opportunity to kill him had come.

Amidst the swirling flesh, he forcibly dredged up a thought he had buried in his heart.

A thought that hadn’t left him since right after learning her true identity.

‘Perhaps…’

He might have become like Kalende if he had taken one wrong step.

Having lived for many years experiencing both the good and bad sides of humanity.

As a result, he came to believe more in the goodness of humans and resolved to fight for them.

In the process, the salvation he obtained was so sweet.

It felt like floating around this world as an alien presence until finally setting down roots for the first time.

But what if…..

What if, by some chance, he had been ensnared by the grip of evil beings like the Demonic Church Leader from the beginning, just like Kalende?

If he hadn’t even had the opportunity to experience the light of humanity?

‘Would I still love humans as I do now?’

He couldn’t be sure.

The Hero recalled various documents related to Homonculus that he had found in Depikio Lugo’s laboratory.

Some of those documents clearly had the title “Transplant Experiment” written prominently on them.

During his journey northward, he had skimmed through them.

The Hero realized that it was an experiment to synthesize specific factors in Homonculus.

What kind of things had the Demonic Church Leader implanted in Kalende?

They surely weren’t normal.

They were probably things like insanity or malice, which could only make one hate humans and worship evil.

…A created villain.

If she wasn’t even the least bit pitiful, it would be a lie.

Clang!

The Hero parried the blade of severance coming towards his neck.

“Don’t look at me like that,”

Kalende’s expression was as if he had spat in her face.

Intense anger and disgust consumed her.

“We’re in the same boat!!!!”

Her body trembled as if in convulsions.

It’s coming.

The Hero sensed the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.

Kalende’s demonic energy, which had been fading, surged like a flame meeting oil.

Whooooooom-

The concentrated demonic energy was right on her right flank.

Tssstssstssstss-

From fingertips to throat, it decayed into purple in an instant.

Unable to withstand the excessive demonic energy, it was rotting away.

But Kalende’s poisonous gaze didn’t turn towards her collapsing body in real-time.

It was solely fixed on the Hero.

Squeeeeeeeak-

The severance wrapped in an enormous amount of demonic energy swung at an unprecedented speed.

It was indiscriminate and primitive brutality without any pattern or form.

But it was equally powerful.

Cacacacack-

The conceptual power of ‘cutting through’ manifested throughout the entire space.

The barrier created by the Stellar Rift was cut like paper by a knife.

Frozen ships and debris, the snow and ice of the Arctic Ocean, wavered like a candle flame before disappearing repeatedly.

‘This time, I can’t let it even graze me.’

The Hero recalled his avatar duel with the former church leader.

If hit by the finishing move of severance, recovery was impossible.

Zzzzzzzz-

Blue sparks flew from the Hero’s body as he watched the severance flying through space.

‘Just moving quickly won’t avoid those blades.’

No matter how fast they were swinging, the attacks poured in from all directions literally ‘simultaneously’.

It sounded absurd, but it seemed like multiple blades existed simultaneously for a moment.

As if there were no time difference.

This phenomenon was the result of demonic energy concentrated to the level of a general, solely focused on speed.

And because it was a conceptual blade of massless notion, evasion was impossible.

An unavoidable technique.

The technique of severance.

…But the Hero did not retreat.

Ted had already exploited this technique to claim victory.

So he could do it too.

Mimicking was his specialty after all.

Sizzle-

Nova’s strike did not linger on his body but shot out from his head.

Bam-

The impact accelerated intensely.

The surroundings became blurry as his vision shook, and the shockwaves from the strike passed by slowly like white lines.

A faint heartbeat pounded in his ears.

The sound of his hand gripping the sword crackled- echoing like a warning.

Thud-

The Hero charged forward.

His cognitive abilities transcending human limits, he found a tiny gap within the intersecting paths of severance.

Just one point.

He had to keep moving forward, toward that one point.

Clang!

.

.

.

Kalende lay on the ground, her hands twitching.

The severance that had claimed countless human lives no longer manifested.

The Hero stood before her, staring at the small, dry hand slicing through empty space.

From the end, it was cracking.

“You…”

He lifted his sword, remembering her words from earlier.

“Yes, die in ignorance.”

With a faint sigh, he gave her a belated response.

“Ignorance isn’t the issue.”

“…What?”

Kalende’s body flinched, sensing what the Hero was about to say.

He continued calmly.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Whether I am a homunculus or a human… Either an external monster or something else. That doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Why….”

“Because I have a goal.”

A pained expression crossed Kalende’s face.

It was a longing for something she could never have in her lifetime.

And the most terrible thing was, she didn’t even know what it was.

The Hero did not avert his gaze.

“I will uproot the decay that plagues this world like a tumor and save humanity.”

For the first time, Kalende looked at him with eyes devoid of any emotion as she murmured.

“For what reason…”

A homunculus who had to live in a world full of haters.

…A being that probably shares the same roots.

Fwoosh-

The Hero freed her, albeit belatedly.

▼

Rotten roots that could not be used as firewood were cut out.

Go find the librarian.

▲

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