An absolute sense of death filled the air. A frost-like divine aura made the very atmosphere tremble. Under the moonlight, a vortex of overwhelming magical power overflowed—a torrent so vast that even the greatest heroic figures had no way to resist it.
This monster rivaled the disasters of the Three Great Quests: Behemoth, the Earth King, and Leviathan, the Ruler of the Seas, both of whom the strongest groups in the Lower World had previously slain. It was the envoy from the deep abyss sent to kill the gods—a pitch-black demonic beast capable of annihilating the world. It was a catastrophe that had wrought havoc since ancient times.
"── I am not your hero."
Deep within the ruins, where only moonlight dared to touch, the boy raised his gaze toward the night sky peeking through a gap in the rocky ceiling and whispered quietly. His eyes held a flicker of something like jealousy—a mix of envy and regret ill-suited for a boy his age. These were feelings he should not harbor for any future opponent.
In the night sky, divine light gathered into the shape of a bow. It was the brilliance of annihilation that would pierce the world, the strongest arrow in the heavenly kingdom, manifesting with the false moon as its launch platform. That single volley would pierce the "lid" of the deep abyss along with the entire city of Orario, returning the world once more to a hell overflowing with monsters.
"..... Perhaps I shouldn't have interfered from the start. But I hated the idea of being the one left behind while others moved forward, so I cheated a little."
Even though the world might end in the next moment, the boy's voice held no panic. In this critical juncture, he remained perfectly calm, as still as the surface of a windless pond. His eyes showed neither misery nor determination. There was only a shadow of unease, stemming from his own anxiety about being somewhere he didn't belong. That gloom masked his features.
One thought dominated his mind: Why was he standing in the spot meant for the "Hero"? All a false copy like him could do was "buy time" to bridge the events together.
As the moonlight bathed his back, black phosphorus erupted around him, coalescing into particles of light. It was a darkness so deep it seemed to personify the night itself—something ominous that felt as though it would rot anything it touched. Yet, it brought no discomfort; it was a dark hue that provided an strangely reassuring sense of peace.
──[Hero's Path] Fully charged, toward the Black Bell's Chime.
The soft ringing of a bell transformed into the thunderous tolling of a great chime. With the deep resonance, the ruins shook and the air shuddered.
The boy now faced an arrow formed from the pure divine power of a "chaste Goddess," charged by that black, god-eating monster using the stolen divinity it had consumed. It was the arrow of destruction that would open the lid of hell before the promised time. This was an absolute strike that no individual in the Lower World could parry. Even if a god released their full divine power, they would be exiled and returned to heaven before they could balance it.
Yet, the boy stood before that threat without flinching. What stirred in his chest was not fear, but regret—or perhaps, an attachment to life. An overwhelming sense of mortality had long awaited him. If that arrow flew, the boy would undoubtedly die.
However, the destruction of Orario—the world's center and the "lid" sealing the deep Dungeon, along with the powerful Familia gods living within—meant the ruin of the entire world. If that arrow were loosed, everything would end.
Therefore, there was no need to weigh the scales.
On one side sat the entire world; on the other, a Goddess who was "already" dead. The answer had been decided from the beginning. With this spear, this divine weapon, he would kill the envoy of the abyss, Antares, and kill the Goddess swallowed within it. Only through this could the world be saved.
He could do it. He possessed power far exceeding that of her "true hero."
But ───────.
"Ah, I really don't like this."
Yes, that was it. The emotion sweeping through the boy now was exactly that. It wasn't despair, nor lamentation, nor sorrow. It was pure anger and resentment. His rage wasn't directed at the monster or the world, but at the Goddess and himself.
What infuriated him most was being cast as a hero against his will—and more importantly, his anger at himself for accepting the role, even just once.
"Someone other than me dying for the sake of the world? ── Don't make me laugh!"
I am not a hero; I am just an ordinary person. I never wanted to be a hero. I cannot be an incomplete hero like my younger brother, nor a hero from the storybooks. I have neither the qualifications nor the reasons. Yet, here the boy stood as a hero, a savior of the world. This was something he could not forgive.
The person standing here now was a mere sham, a replica, not the original. He was driven by absolute selfishness—an explosion of twisted, stagnant desires. A great achievement to save the world? A grave sin to kill a Goddess? None of it mattered to him. He didn't care for those titles.
He didn't even care if the world perished. He didn't mind being called a rogue or branded a villain.
"Something like this... I will never let anyone else do it!!"
An intense passion swallowed his anxiety, conflict, and everything else. This is cheating, this is my turn, step aside. These thoughts filled his chest.
The world?
The Goddess?
The achievement?
The sin?
"All of it... means nothing to me."
── If you want to die, then die far away from me in a place where I have no involvement.
A torrent of emotions he himself could not restrain—that is what moved the boy. He interfered because he could not accept the situation. It was a self-serving, ugly desire in every sense of the word.
But for that very reason, the boy would not stop. Even if the opponent was the annihilation that would destroy the world, and even if the opponent was himself.
"I won't allow anyone to die in front of me. ── I will never be the one to say goodbye to those who leave!!"
He used anger as fuel for his furnace, the burning of his soul as an engine, and the blood coursing through his body as explosive energy. He was a hopeless egoist; that was his truth. For the sake of what he deemed the most beautiful thing in existence, he would turn the entire world into an enemy without hesitation. Even the sin of killing a god was not worth a second thought.
From the start, this body was not "that Goddess's hero."
So, he would do as he pleased. He had no intention of saving the world, he didn't care for the Goddess's followers, and he didn't even care about the Goddess herself. It was simply that he could not stand the sight of someone sacrificing themselves before his eyes.
Thus, the boy decided to become a hero in this place alone. It was a stance built on pure hypocrisy. But that was fine. He wasn't a hero saving someone; he was a rogue fulfilling his own selfishness.
He would not kill the Goddess, and at the same time, he would not allow the world's destruction. It was a feat bordering on the impossible. The boy knew this. He knew the world wasn't that kind. Carrying the sin of killing a Goddess was trivial to him, but he couldn't accept the idea of the world being saved as a result of that sacrifice.
So, the boy made his decision.
"── In a future not too far off, your true hero will come to the promised land."
A smile touched his face as he added internally: (Well, he's my younger brother, anyway).
What he was about to do was merely buying time—an act far removed from the grand achievement of saving the world. He calmed his anger and began to weave his incantation as if singing or laughing. In his hand was the god-killing spear. He tossed it aside as if to say, "I won't use this; I have no need for it."
Instead, he drew a greatsword. He gripped the massive, rugged, double-edged blade with both hands.
"── So, sleep for now."
Buying time—a reckless act resembling a flight. Yet, the boy smiled, believing that his younger brother would be able to save the Goddess after actually saving the world. With a quiet smile, he declared in a low voice that it was his "magic" dedicated to this purpose.
A black aura of light gathered. While draped in lightning and sacred fire, nine magic circles manifested behind his back. He burned the price paid for using a power that defied the laws of this world, converting it into magical energy. The sound of his body creaking reached his ears, groaning under the pressure of the torrent of power overflowing his vessel's capacity. It was proof he was using power that exceeded his limits. But the boy paid it no mind; he chanted aloud.
The incantation finished, and bolts of fiery lightning passed through the magic circles to settle in his body. Charged spears of light rose within the magic circles like stars floating in a night sea. Nine lights flashed in the sky, shining with an ominous beauty no less than the Black Bell's Chime.
The world responded to the surging magical energy, and the earth shook. The nine giant magic circles spread behind the boy overlapped, spinning and emitting a harmonious ring.
────── Limit Break, Charge.
The blessing carved on his back began to radiate heat. This was the secret technique a human body used to balance a "Divine Authority" so great it shouldn't be parried even by a god. The boy's third magic, "Nine God-Slaying Rings," designed only to kill the power of a "God" alone, manifested specifically for this single moment.
It was the human possibility rebelling against the laws of heaven. It was the anomalous entity of the Lower World that brought down the very concept of a "God."
The boy gripped the longsword with both hands and quietly took a crouching stance. Then, the moment arrived. He pulled the longsword behind his back like the string of a bow being drawn. A moment before releasing the brilliance of annihilation that would pierce the world, the boy screamed ──.
"[ ── Legend of the Last Hero ]"
●○●○●
After the festival ended, Mr. Kadm passed away as if falling into a deep sleep. He surrendered his soul quietly, carrying his fifty-year-old feelings for the Goddess in his heart.
It was a peaceful end, surrounded by his daughters. On that moonlit night when we buried Mr. Kadm's body, my brother sat beside me, gazing at the starry sky with a somber expression.
"Brother... will Mr. Kadm be able to meet the Goddess?"
I had heard stories that the souls of humans who die in the Lower World ascend to heaven to be managed by the gods. So, perhaps Mr. Kadm would meet that Goddess one day. No, I could only hope that would happen.
".... It will be difficult. I'm not a god, so I don't know the details, but managing dead souls is the domain of the gods of death."
My brother added that even if a god was of a special rank, like the goddesses of beauty or the Great Gods, they wouldn't necessarily be able to take the soul they wanted under their management. Gods were different from humans. Immortal gods could never forget any void or farewell. To me, that seemed incredibly cruel.
They couldn't grow old together; humans always died first, leaving the gods alone. A human life was but a fleeting moment to the gods who lived forever.
───── "The love of gods is but a moment."
Those words Mr. Miach once said came to my mind. It was a harsh and very sad truth. To carry a sense of loss forever as the price for a moment of love—is that the inevitable fate when dealing with gods who spend nearly an eternity? If so, how terrible and sad a fate it is.
"Yes, that's right. Gods cannot live in the same time as humans."
My brother said this while gently patting my head. His words sounded as if he were directing them at himself, so I tilted my head in wonder.
"But, well... gods ── especially goddesses ── are possessed by obsession. It's said they can wait for ten thousand years. Compared to that, the reincarnation time of humans is but a brief instant."
"Which... which god said that?"
"..... You'll find out one day when you meet her."
"You must meet her." ── My brother said this, smiling under the moonlight with gentle features, yet they held a hint of sadness.
●○●○●
Early the next morning. After completing Mr. Kadm's burial and saying goodbye to the villagers, Ais and her companions set off on their way back to Orario.
Monsters appeared repeatedly, but the two first-class adventurers crushed them easily, clearing the path in the blink of an eye.
"It was a truly good village....."
"I want to go visit it again."
Ais's features softened slightly amidst the calm atmosphere of the group. She sincerely thought it had been a very good village. As for Al, who was walking beside her, his face wore its usual sullen expression, but he seemed calm in some way.
Then she remembered the events of the previous night. At the moment she had grasped his outstretched hand, those dark emotions stirring in her chest had vanished. The warmth of his hand... it was like a patch of warm sunlight, carrying a kindness that overwhelmed the soul.
The darkness that had weighed on her chest disappeared, replaced by a bright sense of contentment.
"... Thank you, Al."
"Huh?"
Al turned toward her with a look of utter confusion at her sudden words. Ais gave him a faint smile, then looked forward again and continued walking.
(Let's return to Orario where everyone is waiting).
The black flames of hatred toward monsters had not yet been extinguished. And the fires of revenge burning deep in her heart would likely never go out. But she felt now that those fires had died down a little.
" " " " " " Al Cranel ────── !! " " " " " "
And so, when Ais and her companions returned, they were greeted by a massive army of Elves with angry, red eyes. Given their numbers and presence, most were high-ranking adventurers who had recently been promoted. Since every one of them was an "Elf" and a natural magic user, this force was capable of annihilating a "Floor Master" in the Dungeon ── in fact, they could wipe out Amphisbaena with ease.
They were the alliance of Elf Familias who had decimated the army of the Kingdom of Rakia. Although there were adventurers of other races scattered among them, everyone's eyes burned with a desire to kill Al.
That army of Elves surged forward, screaming in unison and brandishing their weapons, in a scene that inspired more terror in the soul than an army of monsters ever could.
"Oh, what is this all of a sudden?!"
Al was surprised but, as usual, knocked them back with a single blow. Nevertheless, the expelled Elves rose tirelessly. They didn't look normal; they appeared more like enraged Amazon warriors than Elves. The scene was so bizarre that Ais, a veteran of hundreds of battles, instinctively took a defensive stance even though the killing intent wasn't directed at her.
"You've finally returned, you fool."
A handsome white elf said this while looking at Al, while Al was busy fending off the Elves attacking him like zombies. The man didn't interfere; he just muttered words while staring at Al's back.
It was Hedin, narrowing his clear red eyes in annoyance, his long golden hair—which one might mistake for a woman's—flowing behind him.
" 'Sword Princess,' since you are close to Lady Riveria and that fool, do you have any knowledge of this matter?"
"You are from the Freya Familia.... Excuse me, what do you mean by 'knowledge'?"
Hedin, whose stern face bore signs of exhaustion, approached her while Ais stood stunned before this absurd scene. Hedin made a sound of annoyance at the madness of his kin. He didn't answer Ais's question but looked toward Al and sighed deeply.
At that moment, Al was grabbing the attacking Elves and throwing them one after another, like a Shura monster on the battlefield. Witnessing this, Hedin let out another long sigh and said:
"Is it true that the noble lady ── Lady Riveria and that man called Al Cranel are secretly married?"
".......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Huh?"
"Ah, never mind, I understand. ......... I understand, so don't say anything. I don't want to increase the trouble any more than this."
●○●○●
What is wrong with these people? They attacked me out of nowhere. Fine, even if every one of them is a high-ranking adventurer, they're only Level 2, so they aren't a threat, but it's annoying. I've just returned from a trip and want to sleep as soon as possible.
── Hmm? Wait.
Isn't that Hedin standing over there?
This is perfect; I'll dump everything on Hedin and run away.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
(Al's Logic Explanation): "Personally, I don't care if you die, but I want you to die in a place where I have no connection" → "Also, if I kill her now, she won't be able to meet Bell..." → "But if things stay this way, the world will perish" → "And more importantly, I can't let anyone other than me have the pride of dying for the world!!" → Manifestation of the Third Magic!!
Third Magic: "Kill only the divine power and leave the remaining vessel until the promised day arrives."
The opening scene consisted of: [Longing Memories] + [Hero's Path] Max Charge + [Spirit's Blessing] Limit Break + [All Status] Limit Break + [Adversity Correction] Max + [Enhancement Magic] + [Anti-Black Specialization] + [Anti-Divine Power Specialization].
It was a wide-range offensive magic with an incredibly long incantation (it was supposed to fire nine projectiles, but he gathered them into a single one) and placed it into a single sword strike. It represents the maximum destructive power Al has reached in his life so far. Due to the accumulation of many modifiers, this strike is far stronger than the one he attempted to fire at Enyo. If he fired it at himself (which is impossible), it possesses enough power to erase the current Al from existence.
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[100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
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