Chapter 114 – The Hero's Return (4)

Suddenly, I was summoned as a Hero.

I hadn’t been fitting in at school anyway, and I wanted to run away somewhere.

Just then, the offer of special perks in another world was a welcome one.

But life in this other world was not so easy.

-The first Hero was able to do it.

-Of course, we don’t expect you to be like him. No other person, no, no other Hero could ever achieve what he did.

The third Hero, Shin Jae-ha, was always compared to the first.

The stories of the battles fought by the man who had been summoned just a few years prior sounded like lies.

He had raised fallen nations and, at the tender age of twenty, had fought and won against the Demon King’s army.

They said he had single-handedly charged into an enemy encirclement to rescue a unit that was fighting to the death, awaiting their end.

‘Who does he think he is, some kind of one-man army?’

Shin Jae-ha believed all the achievements attributed to him were exaggerated.

The first Hero must have been a warmonger.

Always fighting, and fighting again.

Shin Jae-ha wasn’t so foolish.

While receiving his Hero training, he dated beautiful women every day and was treated to delicious food.

If he so much as uttered a word, people would bow their heads. Even those called kings couldn’t speak to him carelessly.

‘This other world is amazing, isn’t it?’

Shin Jae-ha was satisfied with this new world.

Then one day, he was invited to participate in something called the Round Table Conference.

It was a gathering where the monarchs of the Seven Kingdoms met to discuss the future of the continent.

He thought it would be a boring affair and found it bothersome, but there was an unexpected reward.

‘Oh, she’s beautiful.’

She was a woman who literally combined the most beautiful features of the East and West.

Shin Jae-ha took an interest in the alluring, platinum-blonde beauty.

She was Queen Diana of the Aitesos Kingdom.

He actively hit on her.

In this world, everyone was grateful if he even spoke to them.

Making a move on someone was as easy as taking his hands out of his pockets.

But she was different.

Her cold, sapphire eyes seemed to say, *A thing like you is the Hero?*

A terrible sense of humiliation.

He felt anger.

Shin Jae-ha had been quite confident in himself.

Thanks to the system’s benefits, he had acquired many abilities, and in spars with other knights, his skills were far superior.

The Shin Jae-ha who had been a bullied outcast in his original world was no more.

He was agile and strong without even exercising.

He decided to show them the power of a Hero.

He agreed to take command in the war the king had been persistently asking for help with.

His first confrontation with the Undying Demon King.

Shin Jae-ha arranged the formation according to the knowledge he had learned.

‘Encirclement and Annihilation Formation.’

The result was a crushing defeat.

Shin Jae-ha believed it was the army’s fault for not following his orders properly.

He regrouped and fought again.

The army was annihilated, a defeat that made the previous one seem trivial.

Shin Jae-ha fled without a single knight to guard him.

This made no sense.

As a Hero, he was incredibly strong. And wise.

It was impossible for him to be defeated by these foolish inhabitants of another world.

Eventually, he was captured and brought before the Undying Demon King.

And he became his subordinate.

After that, everything went smoothly.

The blessing of the goddess was nothing compared to this.

Upon inheriting the Demon King’s power, he felt as if he had become the strongest in the world.

No, he probably *was* the strongest. Except for the Demon King himself.

*CRACK!*

“Well now. Hello there. The smell was so bad the city folks were complaining, so I just came to check things out.”

A madman had appeared.

To come alone to the command center, where the elite of the elite were gathered.

‘Ha.’

He thought he knew what this guy was thinking.

Since winning the war was impossible, he intended to capture him, the Legion Commander, to turn the tide.

Seeing him strike down the Demon Dragon with lightning, it seemed he hadn’t lost his prime strength.

But it was meaningless.

“The crudest of crude tactics.”

Shin Jae-ha covered his face and laughed heartily.

The monsters here were a gathering of general-class beasts who had inherited the Demon King’s power.

While a human ‘general’ is based on lineage, a Majin ‘general’ is based on strength above all else.

This was, quite literally, a suicide mission.

“Seeing you use lightning… are you the first one?”

*Vrrr—*

The Holy Sword was crying.

The Flame of Covenant, which had never once reacted to him.

‘Well, whatever.’

Today, that bastard’s inflated legend would be torn to shreds.

***

“A Hero is supposed to stand at the pinnacle of all and lead them.”

Wow, what is this guy even saying?

“And the best strategy you can come up with is assassination?”

From what I’ve heard, this guy is a fellow Korean, just like me.

But he must have some kind of eighth-grade syndrome, sitting with his legs crossed in a chariot that looked like something only a great king would ride.

“Assassination is a crude tactic, that’s true.”

Ignoring all other strategies and tactics to just go for the enemy leader’s head is a brutish move.

It’s an act that relies on luck.

“But when I do it, it’s not.”

When I do it, it’s the best possible strategy.

“Crush him.”

The fallen Hero gave an order to his adjutant, a Lich, standing beside him.

The Lich, exuding a gloomy aura, commanded the Dragon Tooth Warriors under its control.

“The Legion Commander desires the Hero’s head.”

At the Lich’s magic-infused command, the Skeleton Warriors raised their swords.

Skeleton Warriors are the most basic magic a necromancer can create.

These Skeleton Warriors can also be born from very powerful creatures.

For instance, from something like dragon bones.

A jet-black Skeleton Warrior with immense hardness.

This is called a Dragon Tooth Warrior.

It may look like nothing but bones, enough to make a grandmother worry that her grandkid isn’t eating enough.

But in reality, they are very strong dudes.

*CRACK!*

Still, to me, they’re a one-shot deal.

A single swing of my two-handed sword, and they shatter like flies caught in a swatter.

Being in a 100% synchronization state is definitely a good thing.

There are still many Dragon Tooth Warriors left.

About a hundred of them.

I charged forward, swinging my two-handed sword like a baseball bat.

*CRACK!*

*CRACK!*

It’s a stress-relieving sound.

Like hearing the pins scatter when you get a strike at a bowling alley.

I could see the Lich’s eyes flaring with agitation.

“Oh, sorry. Were they precious to you?”

Trying to do anything with mere Dragon Tooth Warriors against an opponent who took down a 5-star monster like a Demon Dragon in one shot was a doomed idea from the start.

“What are you doing? I told you to crush him.”

“I toold you to cwush ‘im.”

“…”

“Ah, your way of speaking was so disgusting, I couldn’t help myself.”

“…Ugh, just kill him already!”

The Lich summoned more Dragon Tooth Warriors. This time, it led them personally.

Of course, they weren’t the only ones attacking.

*Kuaaaaargh!*

A golem with the highest level of hardness.

A High Orc, akin to a god of battle.

The elite forces of the Demon King’s army swarmed me from all sides, surrounding me.

I stomped my foot hard on the ground.

*-Dispelling Darkness has been activated.*

My personal domain unfolded.

Any enemy that enters this space is pushed back by my aura and receives a debuff.

In other words, they get scared.

*-Phantom Step LV Max has been activated.*

The skill’s effect marks the enemy’s attack direction with footprints.

*-Close Quarters Combat LV Max has been activated.*

Power surged through my body. I could feel the enemy attacking from behind, the enemy charging recklessly from the front, all without needing to see them.

I shattered the Dragon Tooth Warriors with powerful swings of my bat.

Like a potter smashing a piece on the floor because it didn’t turn out the way he wanted.

Well, of course, I didn’t make them.

But if you’re going to make something, at least make it decent. What is this?

“How dare you touch my Dragon Tooth Warriors!”

The Lich raised its casting rod and began to chant.

I imbued a dagger with plenty of mana and gave it to the Lich’s face as a gift.

*CRACK!*

I heard the sound of a skull shattering, and the Lich’s bizarre chanting stopped abruptly.

No time to confirm.

The area is overflowing with enemies.

Well, seeing as the Dragon Tooth Warriors are gone, I guess it’s dead?

When a summoner dies like this, the link is often broken, and the rest of the summons disappear.

And the core of this undead army is held by my dear junior.

He probably won’t just hand it over if I ask.

Then I. Will. De. Stroy. It.

The golem charging with its huge hands is slow, despite being tough. I ignored it for now and dealt with the High Orcs rushing in with greatswords first.

“Kuaargh!”

I dodged the High Orc’s greatsword and cut it down in the same motion. I kicked the thrashing creature, its eyes rolling back, and threw it at its friends.

I thought they’d catch their friend, but they dodged and attacked from both sides instead.

I fired a Shadowless Arrow at each of the two High Orcs.

*BANG! POW!*

Ah, that surprised me.

I forgot I’m currently in a 100% synchronization state.

Unlike the Shadowless Arrows I used in that other world, these have serious destructive power.

The orcs’ faces are gone.

Not bad.

I stretched out my hand. Dozens of points formed around me, firing invisible arrows in all directions.

*BANG, POW! POW! POW!*

The monsters hit by my Shadowless Arrows tumbled to the ground.

I leisurely cut down the defenseless enemies, one after another.

I must have taken down about a hundred of them already.

But the enemies are still numerous. Of course they are.

The number of monsters guarding the Legion Commander is around a thousand.

Just a little more effort and I should be done.

“Is that it?”

I provoked the fallen Hero.

I can see him gritting his teeth.

“If I were you, I’d step up myself.”

Scared?

“It’s not my time to step up yet.”

I think he’s definitely scared.

“I heard some stories about you from the others.”

At my words, the fallen Hero flinched.

Seeing that, a smile naturally formed on my lips.

“Was it that hard being compared to amazing old me?”

“What?”

“I mean, they said people compared you to me for every little thing. And that you fell to the dark side after getting rejected by Diana, who I practically raised.”

“Diana… skinning that damn bitch alive was one of my dreams.”

Wow, how pathetic.

Seeing him smile so creepily, I can tell he’s not popular with the ladies.

“That’s right. I heard something about you too.”

“What was it? That I’m handsome? What do you think?”

“Let me introduce you to a welcome friend.”

As he said that, the fallen Hero extended his hand to the side.

A distance of at least twenty paces.

A direct attack is difficult. There are still too many enemies between him and me.

I drew the string of a Shadowless Arrow with all my might and fired.

*SHWIIIIK! SHWIK!*

Ten Shadowless Arrows poured out at once.

*Thud, Thwack!*

Something emerged from the fallen Hero’s shadow, holding a shield, and blocked the Shadowless Arrows.

The startled fallen Hero glared at me, grinding his teeth.

“How dare you attack me…!”

“Your subordinate blocked it for you. What are you getting so worked up about? And did you think I came here to play patty-cake with you?”

I rested the two-handed sword on my shoulder and smiled at him.

“Heh. Setting me aside, isn’t it a bit much to attack your old master?”

Suddenly, the fallen Hero started spouting nonsense as if he’d gone mad.

A knight in black armor, holding a sword and shield.

I just thought it was a common Death Knight.

“You don’t recognize her?”

*-Listen well. Your sword only needs to be able to protect you.*

A voice still vivid in my ears.

*-Just because you’re the Hero, you, who were just dragged here, don’t need to protect everyone.*

The person who taught me swordsmanship and cheered me on was now holding a sword against me.

“Dragon Knights. Majin infused with dragon genes. They say humans are adaptable creatures, right? When you mix and match genes to mutate them, things get interesting, don’t they?”

There were several others introduced as Dragon Knights besides Midnile.

The things that emerged from the fallen Hero’s shadow were all ferocious, as if they would unleash their ominous mana at any moment.

“Kill him.”

At the fallen Hero’s command, my master, Midnile, took the lead.

The enemy’s attack began anew.

I can no longer afford to hold back my power.

I had been conserving my strength just in case, but my patience had reached its limit.

*-Setting to Phase 2.*

*-Entering Phase 2.*

*-All stats will increase.*

*-Mana limiters have been released.*

I can see the fallen Hero commanding with an air of triumph.

Following his order, over a thousand elite soldiers of the Demon King’s army, led by the Dragon Knights, surged toward me like a tidal wave, with the sole purpose of killing me.

I closed my eyes.

*-A man doesn’t cry. People die anyway.*

The master, who had died with a twisted smile, had spoken with regret.

*-At the very least, I wanted to see if you could pull your own weight….*

Even knowing it was a dangerous tactic, she did not refuse.

All for the sake of the Hero.

I opened my eyes.

I no longer see the figures of the monsters rushing toward me.

There are only objects made of zeros and ones, a binary world.

*-Ancient swordsmanship. My dream is to recreate this ancient swordsmanship. Now, swordsmanship and magic are separate, but they say back in the days of the Goddess War, they weren’t. So swordsmanship and magic were the same thing.*

Sir Midnile was a cheerful person.

She had a quirky side, and her hobby was restoring ancient sword styles.

She was even called a sucker for buying ancient stone tablets, which others considered trash, at high prices.

“…!”

She is already dead.

“!”

What remains here is not her, nor is it someone I failed to protect.

*-The name of the sword style?*

She had answered with excitement.

*-Rephilia Resode. It means ‘Dance of the Sword’.*

Rephilia Resode. The Sword Dance.

The Dance of the Sword she dreamed of restoring consumes an extreme amount of mana.

Therefore, in truth, it is a technique that can never be completed.

“N-No way…”

Unless it’s me.

From point to line, from line to plane.

The chaotically drawn flashes of the sword left brilliant trails as they were etched across all directions.

Wherever the trails of light were drawn, the enemies were torn to shreds like paper.

I hope she is at least a little satisfied.

For the sake of the Hero.

The fact that your disciple became a monster because he hated hearing those words.

My junior urgently tries to draw his sword.

Sorry, but you’re too late.

A flash of light, like a sunbeam, passes across the fallen Hero’s neck.

*Pssshk.*

Only after the sword’s trajectory passed did a line of blood appear.

And I could feel it.

Radiating its presence from within the fallen Hero’s chest.

*Wuuuung—*

The Holy Sword.