Roaring Heroes Battle the Overlord (Ainz)

The factory building, made of brick and stone, had cracked floor tiles, and the beams in the ceiling creaked and groaned. The cracks in the walls spread like a spider's web. After enduring a 7th Tier magic circle and EeDeChi's foot shattering the earth's surface, the entire structure was on the verge of collapse.

Barrett carefully untied Sean and Stella from the chains that still hung over the molten iron, unwinding the thick metal links that bound them.

The two were still trembling from fear, just inches away from falling into the 1500-degree molten iron. The experience had been horrifying, especially for Stella Famillion. Half of her beautiful long hair had been burned away, the scorched strands curling in tight, dark spirals. But to be alive was a miracle. She and Sean clung to each other tightly, tears streaming down their faces.

EeDeChi surveyed the ground, where more than ten bodies lay, victims of brutal violence. The corpses were beyond recognition, their bodies battered beyond belief by fatal blows. EeDeChi looked down at her own hands, the joints stained with blood, now dried and caked on. Of course, none of the blood was hers.

For a moment, EeDeChi felt a wave of dizziness. Had she done all this? The bodies, the blood dripping from her fingertips... was she responsible for it? The reason she hadn't killed Odys earlier, letting him die while spewing his last words, was that she realized she'd destroyed so many lives. For a moment, she couldn't bring herself to finish the job.

Barrett walked up to her and snapped his fingers in front of her face with a sharp "pop."

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

EeDeChi jolted back to reality. She quickly asked, "A mirror! Do you have a mirror?"

"A mirror? Why do you need one?" Barrett asked, puzzled, but still pulled a small round mirror from his spatial ring and handed it to her.

EeDeChi activated her Innate Talent and looked into the mirror at her own face. In the reflection, the number above her head, which represented her Justice Value, was still 250, unchanged.

EeDeChi lowered the mirror and let out a sigh of relief. "Good, I'm still 250."

Barrett hoisted the body of Odys Malcon Waverly and tossed it into the molten iron, to prevent the Waverly family from using 5th Tier Divine Magic to resurrect him. Odys's body burned fiercely in the molten iron, quickly reducing to nothing but ashes.

EeDeChi searched through the dirt, retrieving her golden fountain pen, copper seal, giant sword, and spatial ring. She slipped the spatial ring on her finger and strapped the giant sword to her back. Sean helped Stella to her feet, and the four adventurers made their way out of the crumbling factory.

Barrett glanced back at the building. He had been about to ask EeDeChi to set it on fire using magic—after all, she had burned down a brothel once—but seeing the weight of worry on the captain's face, he decided against it. Instead, he took out a fire magic scroll, tossing it into the factory.

The fire scroll, "Fury of the Fire God," was a high-level item he had painstakingly obtained from an alchemist after much searching. It had cost him 40 gold coins, but it was well worth the price.

As the alchemical seal on the fire element was released, the flames erupted like a swarm of frenzied fireflies scattering in every direction. Soon, the entire factory was engulfed in roaring flames. The fire surged, and the wooden beams, the ceramic roof tiles, and the walls all collapsed in a deafening crash.

...

Two days later.

The Last Defender of the Way adventuring team arrived at an old house. Barrett stepped forward and knocked on the door. After an unsettling silence, the faint sound of footsteps echoed from behind the door.

The door creaked open, revealing a weary face. A young woman with a tragic expression stood behind the door, gazing at them. Her eyes were puffy and red, and her disheveled brown-gray hair hung loosely over her shoulders. It was clear she had been crying frequently and suffering from sleepless nights over the past few days.

"Ma'am, are you Belinda Ulea?" Barrett asked politely.

"Yes, how do you know my name?" The young woman behind the door asked.

"We're friends of Tony Ulea. He often tells us about his daughter, Belinda Ulea, the one he's so proud of."

A faint, sad smile appeared on Belinda's face. "So you're my father's friends. Please, come in." The four adventurers stepped into the living room, and Belinda poured them a pot of red tea.

Old Tony's spouse had passed away years ago after falling ill. He only had one daughter, Belinda Ulea.

Belinda had inherited her father's magical talent, and Old Tony had always hoped she would become a high-level mage. But Belinda had only been interested in potions. After falling out with her father, she had left home to study potion-making on her own. Whenever Old Tony asked her to come back, she stubbornly refused.

When Old Tony was drunk, he would talk to the other adventurers about his only daughter, but it was never with the proud tone Barrett had mentioned. It was more often a tirade, full of complaints. For example, his daughter had sent back the clothes he'd sent her, refused to come home to visit her mother's grave, and even started seeing some potion-making punk.

The adventurers would laugh and joke, sipping beer while joining in to mock Old Tony's daughter's boyfriend.

As Barrett recalled those past moments, he remembered how Old Tony's goatee would twitch as he proudly lit the campfire with his wand, casting spells and teasing the other adventurers, all of them laughing heartily. A twinge of sadness rose in his chest, and his eyes grew moist.

"How is Tony's nephew, Eddie Hill, doing these days?" Barrett asked quietly, wiping the corner of his eye as he spoke to Belinda.

Belinda glanced toward the back of the house, letting out a deep sigh. "Eddie... these past few days, besides going to the Mage Tower to study, he's been locking himself in his room. I don't know what's going on with him. He's been studying magic day and night, pushing himself to the limit."

"Eddie and Old... uh... Tony were very close," Barrett hesitated, then continued, "Tony always hoped to train Eddie into a high-level mage."

"You can call him by his nickname, it's fine," Belinda said with a faint smile. "In the past few days, my father's mage friends and adventurer companions have visited a lot. Only now do I realize that my father had such a friendly nickname."

Belinda looked up at Barrett, her eyes filled with determination. "Don't worry. Even though Eddie and my father aren't related by blood, I see Eddie as my own brother, and I'll take on the responsibility of raising him."

Barrett nodded silently, then pulled out an Orichalcum metal badge from his chest. The badge had been pressed against his chest, warming it. He handed it to Belinda and said:

"I've avenged Tony Ulea. I killed the bastard who killed Old Tony, and I brought back his adventurer badge."

Belinda trembled as she took the Orichalcum badge. She ran her fingers over the back, where Tony's name was etched, and tears began to fall freely from her eyes.

"Thank you… thank you…" she whispered, sobbing softly.

"We've been held up by other matters these past few days and couldn't attend Old Tony's funeral. Would you take us to the graveyard? I'd like to pay my respects to my old friend."

"Of course," Belinda answered quietly. She gathered her messy hair, stood up, and walked out of the living room.

A handsome, well-dressed young man poked his head out from behind the door. He carefully sized up Barrett and the others before asking, "Belinda, are you heading out?"

Belinda nodded. "Yeah, if any guests arrive, can you take care of them?"

The young man gave a faint, wry smile but agreed, "Don't worry, I've got it covered." He then withdrew behind the door.

The four adventurers stepped out of the old house, and Barrett asked in confusion, "Who was that?"

"He's my boyfriend," Belinda explained. "Lately, we've had adventurers and mages visiting often, but for some reason, some of the adventurers always want to pick a fight with him as soon as they meet him. So, he ends up hiding in the back room."

They flagged down a carriage and headed toward the cemetery on the outskirts of the city.

The cemetery was silent, surrounded by rows of tombstones standing like dominoes. Belinda led them to Old Tony's grave.

The gravestone was made of rounded granite, simple and old-fashioned, engraved only with Old Tony's birth and death dates, and a relief of an elderly man with a goatee, wearing a kind smile.

Barrett gently touched the gravestone, gazing into the eyes of the figure in the relief. Looking at the smile on the elderly man's face, his heart felt lighter, almost without him realizing it.

Belinda took out a small trowel and said, "My father was always proud of his adventurer identity. I think he would have wanted to be buried with his Orichalcum badge. Please, let me bury his adventurer's badge here."

Barrett nodded in agreement. Together with Belinda, they dug a small, deep hole in front of the gravestone and buried the Orichalcum badge deep inside.

Sean, Stella, and EeDeChi silently stood to the side, understanding that the best course of action at this moment was to respect the peaceful atmosphere of the cemetery and not disturb it.

After burying the badge, the five of them stood in a row in front of the grave. The cold winter sunlight pierced through the thick, gray clouds, and the chill wind swept up fallen leaves. In the desolate cemetery, the withered yellow grass swayed gently in the breeze, like the spirits of the dead drifting in the wind.

Stella Famillion, dressed in a pure white robe, held a Gaia statue in her hands. Her hands were crossed over her chest as she softly chanted an adventurer's long poem, and Barrett and the others quietly joined in.

"Oh, my dear companions, our perilous journey has come to an end."

"The beasts' heads lie in the box, and the ancient treasures weigh upon our shoulders."

"We've trudged through mountains, rivers, swamps, and deserts, with never a pause in our steps."

"The path leads homeward, the town is near, the clock tower's spire appears in sight."

"Thousands cheer, acclaiming the warriors' return, but our blades are battered and broken."

"The coins' crisp clink, like birdsong in the breeze, the scent of ale sweeter than autumn's fields."

"Yet, oh, my aching heart!"

"Crimson blood spills."

"In the left hand, gold coins are held, in the right, your badge."

"The badge, stained with blood, I can no longer tell which hand is heavier."

"In the still earth, my companions rest in peace;"

"In the sorrowful wind around the grave, the raven softly cries."

"The victorious warriors return from their quest, the prize we sought now nearly within grasp."

"But still, I play the chords of grief."

"In faraway lands, my comrades lie in eternal rest."

"They have fallen, their eyes closed in peace, resting at last..."