Chapter 8 – What was Forgotten
Gods really did whatever they wanted.
Koji chuckled as he stood in front of the fortress, now dark and quiet.
If monsters who attacked a village managed to escape, then he would be cursed as a useless fool. He had been made to walk all night, cleaning the place of monsters. And now this, all of a sudden.
‘You did good work. I will use you as a reward.’
“I have no idea what you are going on about.”
‘It is simple. Your failure brought about wonderful results. How could I not praise you?’
It was all very confusing. However, there was one thing that was for certain.
There were close to a hundred monsters in the fortress in front of him. And if he hunted them down, he would finally acquire the magic nullification ability that he wanted so bad.
“Are you really going in there alone?”
“Aye. The rest of you can deal with any who try to escape.”
“He will be fine. Invincible armor and the strongest sword. And a magic bracelet on top of that.”
“And the protection of a god. Surely there could not be a problem!”
The other party members had no worries. It was just Axle who was often paranoid, and they were used to him being like this.
“Well, even I know when to retreat. If I get tired, I’ll come back so that Ril can heal me with magic.”
“…Just keep your guard up.”
“Aye! Alright, I’m going now.”
He pulled out his sword from the sheat and raised his left arm.
In this upcoming battle, he could use his ability to the fullest, without worrying about anyone.
His sword would dance, magic would bounce, and the enemy would be annihilated. Just imagining the sight sent shivers of joy up his spine.
‘Are you ready?’
“Anytime!”
‘Now! Go and kill them, Hero!’
The unleashed magic energy shone above his head. He was drunk from the shockwaves, and Koji’s eyes glowed brightly.
‘Exterminate the vile monsters that nest in the fortress!’
“Crush them, ‘Zephant’!”
Flames erupted, and the strong gates were blown away.
And then the Hero rushed into the furnace ahead.
The air seemed to shake with the explosion. At the same time, Sheto felt his neck being pulled so hard that it almost broke.
“Gebbuu!”
His body was dragged out of the hole. And before he knew it, he was surrounded by intense heat.
“Go….goho…”
The stake that had held him was broken now. And the giant wooden gates were blazing with smoke and flames.
“What…the…”
The kobold muttered as fear showed on his face. The stench of smoke, and the fires that rose all around the fortress.
In front of the gate, monsters were running around madly. Orcs were weak to the light, and they screamed while the goblins pushed their way through, trying to find the source of the fire.
“Don’t lose your heads! Put out the fires! Find the enemy!”
Shouted an orc leader, but there was no sense of unity at all. And the monsters continued to run around and scream.
“Uuu…gah…”
Amidst the chaos, Sheto heard someone groaning. He turned around and saw the other kobolds on the ground around the broken stake.
“Are you alright!?”
“Agh…agh…it hurts…it hurts…”
He must have been sleeping in a bad place. The chains had torn off one of his arms when it was yanked. He was crying and pleading as the blood flowed. Sheto held him in his arms as the strength faded.
“Pull it together! Don’t die!”
“Pa… Ma…”
The dog-like form shuddered and stopped moving forever. Sheto gently laid him on the ground, and then went to check on the others who had been sleeping.
“Ah…ahh…”
None of them would ever speak again. Some had been decapitated by the chains, while others were pierced by fragments of the gate. Their bodies were dragged and broken.
He could feel the pain of the collar around his neck. And though he was free from the stake, the chain still held him back.
Why had he been the only one to survive? As he thought this, something bashed into his head.
“Gyaugh!”
“What are you doing! The enemy! Hurry up and fight!”
Shouted a goblin wielding a spear. His face was contorted with fear.
“You go first! I go after!”
It said as it threw a rusted short sword towards Sheto.
“Bu…but…”
“Don’t talk back!! If you don’t go, I kill you.”
“Pierce, ‘Zephant’!”
A young man’s voice sounded, and a high-pitched sound like a whistling arrow echoed. When he quickly turned around, Sheto saw a figure releasing a magical glow with a silver tail.
“Gyafu!”
The goblin’s head went flying like a squashed fruit. And a moment later, the lights shot towards him.
‘Move, Sheto!’
It was too late.
His thoughts were filled with confusion, and all he could do was bring up his arm to cover his face.
The intense impact bit into the flesh of his arm, and the small body was thrown into the air.
“Gaaaaaaa!”
‘Sheto!’
Both of his arms were so painfully hot that it felt like they were on fire. His hands did not move at all. And while he had protected his face, the pain was so strong he could not breathe.
“Ah…agah…ah…a-ah…ah…”
‘Yesta! Raise Sheto’s healing power! Hurry!’
Salia screamed, and then a moment later, the pain subsided just a little. The burning as well. It became more of a numbness.
‘Sheto! Get out of there!’
“Sa…Sa…lia…?”
While unsteady, he managed to get up to his feet. The magic attack earlier had turned many of the monsters into meat.
“Did…you…do that?”
‘No! That was…’
There was no need to say any more.
The source of the magic violence was walking towards him, sword in hand.
“Hehe. There is still plenty left.”
The Hero in blue armor smiled. Even when surrounded by nearly fifty monsters, he was still calm.
“So you are the Hero that the Demon King talked about!”
Said an ogre who wielded a giant battle axe. The young human pointed his sword at him and nodded.
“I am a Hero who was summoned from another world. Koji Itsumi. Remember that when I send you to the underworld.”
Just then, smoke blew into his face.
“Buha! Wh-what is this! Gah! Geho!”
“Guahahaha! Hero? You idiot! All of you, attack!”
The Hero coughed and his guard was lowered. It was then that the monsters charged at him. They seemed to be sure of their victory, but Sheto knew better.
“No! Weapons don’t have any effect on him!”
Of course, no one heard, and weapons clashed beyond the smoke.
“Woah!”
There was a high-pitched ring, and several monsters were blown into the air. And then the smoke thinned out.
“Ah! Thank you for coming to me, you monsters!”
The strong barrier blocked the dozen weapons, and the Hero continued to speak casually.
“However… I did make a fool of myself, a little!”
The sword was longer than Sheto was tall, but it swung lightly, cutting through multiple goblins at once.
“Wh-what is this!”
“Haha! These days, Heroes can do anything. You can pay for cheats. I am ridiculously powerful now!”
He swung the blood from his blade and with a smile, thrust it towards the sky.
“Dance, ‘Zephalis’!”
His body rotated, and the tip of the sword slashed into the monsters.
Without losing momentum, the Hero charged into the horde of orcs that tried to escape. And one after another, he sliced them open.
“Wha…what is…”
‘That is the Hero! You saw him before!’
“Ah…”
As a child playing with a swan’s feather, the Hero cut through the monsters.
A goblin desperately held its spear in defense, and then his head went flying. Another orc was walking, not realizing it had been cut.
“Sti-stick together!”
The ogre shouted desperately, but the Hero was now a tornado of blades that cut through everything.
Even though they knew it was useless, the goblins continued to attack. Archers were also shooting from a distance, but they did not even leave a scratch.
“He-help! Gyaaaah!”
“I don’t want to die!”
The goblins that had been ‘taking care of them,’ were now screaming with tears as they were slaughtered. But Sheto felt nothing.
He just watched, barely able to breathe.
The power of someone blessed by a god.
A device of violence against monsters. A holy weapon.
“Now, it’s just you.”
“Ah, hya! Ahhhh!”
The ogre chief cowered. He desperately raised his battle axe, but his legs were shaking.
“Since you saw me looking foolish, I have to kill you in a way that fits the god’s request. Now, which should it be?”
In spite of all the killing, there was not a single drop of blood on his blue armor. The white blade was clean as well. As if it had never been used against a living creature.
“…Ok. We’ll do a flashy one then!”
The Hero raised his arms in front of the quivering ogre.
“Come down, lightning! Dwell in this holy blade!”
The bracelet glowed, and lightning struck. The blade lit up, turning into a long sword of light.
“Annihilation sword, Lightning Impact!”
Shouting, thunder, flash. All came together and slammed into the ogre.
“Arrrghhhhh!”
Sheto’s scream was erased by the explosion.
When everything was done, the harsh smell of poison drifted in the air. And all that was left was a great burnt hole.
“Uh, ah…”
‘Run… Hurry!’
The Hero’s shoulders heaved as he caught his breath in front of the great crater. But in spite of Salia’s voice, Sheto did not move.
He knew that he had to.
The Hero could not be hurt. He erased giant monsters without leaving a trace.
His protection was not comparable to Sheto’s.
He could not win, but…
His legs would not move.
That feeling when they first met. That was just fear of an unknown enemy.
But now, it was fear of someone with overwhelming ability.
“Huh? Ah, there really is one left.”
The Hero turned to him. He checked the state of his blade as he started to walk.
‘Run away, Sheto!’
Still, Sheto could not move.