The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

EP7. At the End of Darkness

The flames of the battlefield engulfed everything. Many people died, and just as many gave up the fight.

The Allied Forces, which boasted numbers in the millions, were left with nothing more than tens of thousands of men.

Arrogance. Considering that seventy thousand ash-gray soldiers, ten times the strength of ordinary soldiers, were coming, it was an absurdly small number.

The Demon King was strong, of course. He spread death wherever he appeared, and his power was incomparable to that of any other. However, the cause of the greatest deaths among mankind was not the Demon King. Rather, the cause of the greatest defeats among mankind was those damned ash soldiers.

There is nothing the Demon King can do. He is a being with truly transcendent power. Beings with such a huge gap cannot even recognize that gap. They just have to accept the Demon King as a being that is ‘different’ from them.

However, the ash-gray soldiers were different. Anyone could tell they were living beings. Anyone could tell they were much stronger than ordinary humans, but they were not beings from another dimension. That was why humans were afraid of that fact. They did not know fear. They did not know guidance. They simply fought with their ash-gray bodies, empty and ashen, as if the color they had once possessed had been drained.

As a result of the tireless soldiers taking the initiative and swinging it on the battlefield, the Allied Forces lost their proud troops and humanity was driven to the brink of destruction. And only a few who wanted to fight to the end gathered together and prepared for the last fight, a foolish fight that they could never win.

Everyone knows that they can’t win anyway.

So why have we gathered here? Why have we chosen to fight? Why have we walked down the path of Sagrada?

Everyone already knew the answer.

“Today, we will defeat the Demon King and regain peace and freedom!”

Even though they know there is no chance of victory, they put false hope in their mouths. They shout victory and take up their swords.

If you wish for something, it probably won’t be victory.

They prepared for the final battle, burning everything they had.

The end of everything… the end of this world was approaching.

Ainzel took hold of the holy sword and sighed inwardly.

He was no help. He already knew that deeply.

No matter how hard you try, you can only deal with a few gray soldiers. If there were ten of them, you would probably be defeated. Even if there were ten of them, Beatrice wouldn’t be able to fight them.

But he wanted to find something he could do. He wanted to find his own value.

In fact, he thought in his head that he had made a mistake. The reason was simple. He simply knew that it was the wrong choice and tried to go back to the past, but he had to do so, but he was so captivated by Beatrice that he missed the chance to go back to the past. And now, he couldn’t bring himself to go back to the past.

He would definitely protect her. As a warrior who could not protect the world, that was all he could think about.

Ainzel felt a chilling wind.

The air was heavy, and the smell of blood was already tickling my nose.

The sky became covered with dark clouds, thunder could be heard, and soon rain began to fall lightly.

Ainzel went to Beatrice and stood next to her and said.

“It’s raining.”

“Yeah. It’s a little… cold.”

Ainzel wrapped his arms around her waist.

“…I didn’t mean to say something like that, but thank you.”

Beatrice blushed and said, then looked ahead.

What I saw before my eyes was a giant demon body.

Its legs were similar to those of a mountain goat or goat, and its size seemed to be almost larger than that of an ogre.

Beatrice and Ainzel could see and know the creature.

The demons before my eyes are monsters that stand shoulder to shoulder with the disasters of the continent and Grandis.

Malecidus cried out.

The heavens opened. Malecidus charged, and those who fought with the last of their courage were swept away in an instant like fallen leaves.

Nothing could stop Malecidus from destroying life, breaking spears, and defiling wills.

Malecidus infused his whip with black magic. Black flames engulfed the whip, and with each swipe of the whip, sparks flew, burning everything nearby.

Ainzel laughed in vain when he saw that the Demon King had not even come out.

“Still, it’s fortunate that only Malecidus appeared.”

Beatrice said with a smile.

As Ainzel looked at her, Beatrice added.

“It goes without saying that the odds of winning are higher than when the Demon King himself comes, and it’s also a chance for revenge. Against the person who made us run away before.”

Ainzel looked at her and was inwardly surprised. Beatrice was still looking for a chance. She was still talking about revenge.

Beatrice held the hammer of light in her hand.

Ainzel followed Beatrice, who was shining so brightly.

“Look over there…”

“A miracle… a miracle is shining…”

Even though it was a very faint light, everyone was captivated by it. Everyone admired it and followed it.

Beatrice was truly shining brightly.

When Beatrice swung her hammer at Malecidus, Malecidus struck back head-on.

Boom! The shock felt like the sky was splitting apart, and the people staggered. And the gray soldiers were no exception.

“I don’t know where this kind of person came from… No, I get it. I didn’t know the saint wasn’t dead yet.”

Beatrice continued to swing her hammer at Malecidus without saying a word. Malecidus continued to block her blows and spoke.

“You probably already know that you can’t win. I think all the warriors here do too. … I will praise your fighting spirit, but by the order of the Demon King, I will annihilate you all. Die, Saintess.”

Malekidus unleashed his black magic as if everything he had done so far was just a warm-up. Beatrice gritted her teeth at the power that was incomparable to her own.

“Die!”

Boom! A sound that shook the heavens and earth was heard, and at the same time Beatrice was thrown to the ground, Ainzel unconsciously ran towards her.

Ainzel hugged Beatrice, who had fallen to the ground and lost her hammer, and wrapped his arms around her body, as if he was willing to die in her place.

“…What are you? Even so, the saint will die anyway. Why are you… No, I know who you are. Hero, I will make sure to keep that in mind.”

As Malecidus’ whip swung, time slowed down. It felt like the moment of death I had repeated countless times…

But it was different. Something, something very different.

The whip hadn’t even touched his body yet. And… rather than time slowing down, it was as if time had stopped altogether…

“Awesome.”

A man’s voice was heard.

Ainzel could see him, no, he could feel him, even though his body wasn’t moving at all.

“You’re amazing. You protect your own people even though you know they’re going to die anyway? This time, the hero is really brave… and a total idiot.”

It was a man with bright blond hair and blue eyes. Even though it was his first time seeing him, Ainzel felt a sense of unease. It felt very, very familiar.

“And, since you’re such a loser… I felt relieved.”

Ainzel realized that his mouth was moving and opened it.

“…Who are you?”

“Shouldn’t I ask about that familiarity I feel from your holy sword? It feels somehow eerie, like we’ve met before, doesn’t it?”

“…yes.”

“You already know me.”

“Are you a warrior of my squadron?”

“Yes. The warrior of your generation… no, to be exact, the residual thoughts that he left behind while using the holy sword. They will dissipate over time, you know. Just like the thoughts left behind by my, no, his predecessors.”

“…Why did you show up now? For what?”

The blond man smiled coolly and opened his mouth.

“Of course. It’s to help you.”

“You’re going to help me? How?”

“I am the spirit left behind by the previous warrior in the holy sword… It contains not only a part of his soul, but also a part of his power. By offering up the existence of ‘me’, the spirit of your previous warrior, you will be able to use that power.”

“If that happens, what happens?”

“I can defeat Malecidus.”

“yes?”

“No, to be precise, I should say that I can suppress it for a while… By offering my existence, I can render Malecidus immobile for at least several months.”

“then.”

“Yes, you can live with Beatrice and your companions. But, if you run away like that, will you be able to live long? Even if you do, you will return to the past. But my thoughts will not be able to return to the past.”

“That, that means…?”

“Yes, Beatrice or the world. You have to choose only one. The choice is yours.”