The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

EP6. Cataclysm

Darkness appeared. The deep darkness beyond gradually engulfed the world.

The warlocks frowned at the sight.

“…Well, no matter how valuable the high-level demons are as sacrifices, the situation isn’t very good when you think about the investment we put into them.”

“Damn it… I guess the warrior just has to give up. No matter how much I think about it, there’s no way we can defeat the high-level demon who gave us all sorts of items.”

A glimmer of discouragement rose among the warlocks.

“Yes, it seems the warrior has no choice. It would be best for the warrior to give up.”

“But even if you give up being a warrior, if there is no way to improve, won’t reaching your goal just be delayed indefinitely?”

“If things turn out this way, we have no choice but to make deals with the kings of weak countries or local lords to obtain sacrifices.”

“Deal? What can we give them?”

“What they want most is to be empowered.”

Weak leadership wants power.

The top humans want peace, because they already have everything.

The lower class of people also want peace, because they know that even if a change were to occur, it would only be difficult and not gain anything.

And those who want change, war, power are always the ones standing in the middle.

“In short, you give them power in exchange for receiving humans from them. You can inflict damage on the person you want, and you can even give them the ability to acquire black magic.”

“Even if I did that, I don’t think there would be much to be gained.”

When one of the warlocks objected to that statement, the warlock who was explaining the plan said:

“Who said we would only take one side? We will be a force. Not only for the weaker monarch, but also for the other monarchs that he wants to fight.”

The idea was to start a fight, escalate it, and take advantage of it in the middle.

“Hmm… It’s a shame that I can’t come out on top, but I guess there’s nothing I can do when I’ve suffered so much damage at the hands of the warriors.”

“Yeah. And if we make the monsters run wild, there’ll be more people who want us.”

They continued to plot ways to survive, and they continued to think of ways to recoup the losses they had inflicted on the warrior.

“It would have been better if I hadn’t messed with the warrior in the first place, but it ended up just making a fuss.”

“Yes. It’s a pointless nitpick, but there’s nothing I can do about it. There’s no way to go back to the past.”

“And there is a way to accomplish our goal in a short period of time.”

“what?”

The warlocks looked at the warlock who opened his mouth. The warlock hesitated for a moment and then spoke.

“It’s the World Tree. If you hit the World Tree, you can easily achieve your goal. Compared to their fighting power, the fairies’ value as sacrifices is lower than that of humans, so I didn’t plan on attacking the fairies from the beginning… but the World Tree is different. It’s like absorbing the veins of the entire continent. It means absorbing the power of the entire continent.”

“Oh, that means if only there was a World Tree…”

“You can achieve your goal right away. Of course.”

“Hmm… But now, the national power of Tyrantus is growing stronger day by day. But is it possible to attack Tyrantus?”

“It is possible. Although Tirentus’ national power is growing, its military power has actually declined due to sending many dispatches from other countries. In such a situation, without even the ‘eyes in the sky,’ attacking Tirentus would be easier than conquering other countries.”

“Hmm… Couldn’t other countries help Tirantus? I feel it would be burdensome to make a rash move in such a situation.”

“No, I can assure you. Other nations do not help Tyrantus. It is quite natural.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Of course. What they need is Tyrantus’ ‘manpower’, not something from Tyrantus. If it was a war with another country, they could help as a diplomatic matter, but if we, the warlocks, are attacking, they are more likely to ignore it. They can easily absorb Tyrantus’ high-level manpower.”

“That means….”

“Yes, some of them will subdue the smaller and medium-sized monarchies, and most of their forces will be used to attack Tyrantus. The World Tree’s body is worth that much.”

The warlocks have made their resolution and are ready to unleash their might on the monsters.

…

“Kwaaak!”

“Where are you, where are all these monsters pouring out from?”

Tyrantus was having a hard time due to the numerous monsters attacking him.

“You damn dregs of the demon’s filth!”

And then, the figure of the person defeating those monsters was seen.

Iverkas. The superior fire spirit still lives on, protecting Tyrantus, the land of the contractors.

And to him, the current rampage of monsters reminded him of the time when Titan invaded, both in terms of scale and in many other aspects.

The difference was that, unlike the Titans, they were not systematic or tactically organized, but they were much more ferocious and numerous.

I felt a sense of despair as if I couldn’t defeat the monsters that poured in like that no matter how many times I defeated them.

“Damn it, why is it that our military power is so weak right now….”

Military power would soon be restored. Even national power was growing day by day. In such a situation, the large-scale monster wave that no one had expected was even more painful.

It was similar to when we fought the Titans in the past, but the circumstances were different. Mainly because there was nowhere to turn for help.

“Damn, there are no warriors or comrades right now.”

With only four humans’ support, the fairies managed to defeat the Titan and restore peace. It was a legendary achievement that no one could deny.

However, now, not only was there no hope for support from those four, but they had to wait for the soldiers they had dispatched to other countries to return.

Iverkas suddenly laughed. It was funny that a country that was reeling from the invasion of monsters would send troops to another country.

Help. I desperately needed help. I had defeated countless monsters, but my individual strength was limited.

However, in the end, Tyrantus was barely able to withstand the monsters’ attacks.

And the real thing started after that. Along with the rampaging monsters, the warlocks appeared and took the offensive. Unlike the monsters who only fought against them, the human warlocks were intelligent and strong opponents.

Tyrantus was not strong enough to withstand the combined attacks of the warlocks and monsters. Tyrantus was forced to reveal the limits of his national capabilities.

Eventually, the fairies had no choice but to consider negotiating with the warlocks. However, the warlocks’ conditions were outrageous.

Hand over the World Tree. It was an absurd request to hand over not a part of the World Tree or even a fruit, but the World Tree itself.

The fairies fought the warlocks to the end. The World Tree was the protector, parent, and pride of all fairies. It was something they could not dare sell.

Ivercas eventually resorted to a desperate measure.

There was a lot of talk in the empire, but there was nothing that could be done.

The man who helped me when I was in a crisis like this and created a miracle. He came to mind and I unconsciously began to have high hopes for him.

“Anne. I have a favor to ask you. Could you go and talk to someone for a moment?”

The spirit in the form of a red girl nodded. I could already guess who it was.

…

I felt strange.

The monster invasions had subsided. And that was just over a month after I defeated the demon. I had an ominous feeling about what the warlocks were planning.

The fact that the attacks against me had subsided meant that they were targeting something else. My sense of foreboding grew stronger because I had no idea what they were aiming for.

And then, the girl who suddenly appeared to me said.

“Excuse me, can you help us?”

Red hair, purple eyes. A fire spirit.

I looked at the girl and hesitated for a moment, then the girl continued speaking.

“You may have forgotten, but I am Anne. I am the spirit who made a temporary contract with you. I have come to ask you a favor.”

Anne continued talking while I was still unable to answer.

“Tirentus is currently being invaded by warlocks. I would like you to help us fight them.”

Tyranthus? It was unclear what the warlocks were after. What was certain was that Tyranthus, with his weakened military power, would not be able to stop the warlocks.

I opened my mouth.

“…Okay. I’ll go.”

I accepted, even though I knew I would regret it.

EP6. The End of the Cataclysm