Chapter 13 – Turnaround
“Gaaaahhh! Ah! Gaah!”
As Sheto rolled on the ground, the shark pain pierced through his brain.
As his vision blurred, he saw that his legs were still there. His armor was completely broken, but the blessings had done their work.
“Nice bomb. This combo really is perfect.”
“Hehe. Maybe we should continue to team up after this is over?”
The puppeteer and snakebite sword Hero were laughing as they approached him.
“Oh, don’t move now.”
The snake-like blade pointed at Sheto’s throat before he could reach for his bow.
“Still, what a surprise. You can quick-draw with an arrow. Not bad at all.”
“It does look pretty cool. Though, I don’t want to be hit by it.”
More and more small dolls were being made. There were about ten of them now, and they made a circle around Sheto.
“Hey! Where’s the kobold!?”
“We got him!”
“So, what now? We can’t all share the prize?”
The Hero with the greatsword had now arrived. And while he looked a little angry to have missed out, he was also relieved.
‘Sheto. Your wounds.’
Without saying anything, he gestured that he was fine. The auto heal was already in effect, and the pain was subsiding. However, the sword was still at his throat.
“The person who deals the finishing blow will get the most experience points. And then after that, it’s the person who assisted.”
“What!? Seriously! Then can I deal the final blow!?”
“Eh? Wait a minute. Can you even do that in this state?”
The puppeteer said with annoyance.
“The blessings are still on it. That’s why we’re standing around, right? It can’t be that easy to kill it.”
The puppeteer looked at Sheto as if to assess him.
“…What are you trying to say?”
“Tsk. That we should just make the request.”
“You!? We were told not to do that! Are you trying to take everything for yourself!?”
“…Indeed.”
The boy sat up with a bored expression.
In this fight, all of the Heroes were forbidden from dueling. After all, they were not really from the same party. So the moment that one person moved ahead, it would be a one on one fight with Sheto.
At the same time, they wanted to prioritize chasing Sheto, and make Salia’s blessings deplete. In other words, ‘kill Sheto over and over again.’
“I’m, fine with that.”
Sheto croaked as the blade pressed into his neck.
“Eh?”
“Me, and you.”
“Oh. No, no. I am quite clever, you know. I don’t want to make an enemy of all these other guys.”
“Exactly. Even if you can get a huge reward, you’ll make too many enemies.”
Apparently, duel challenges from high-ranking Heroes to low-ranking Heroes could be rejected. So there was no need to accept it from Sheto.
And all of the Heroes who were present understood the situation well. Their relationship was one of dangerous cooperation, and it was just one kobold who kept things in balance.
“No, little doggie. How about you disarm yourself?”
“As if, I’d throw weapons away.”
“Yes, yes. We’ll tear everything off and beat him.”
“So, we all carve away at the blessings and the person who removes the most is the winner?”
“Not bad…”
The two Heroes talked happily.
Deep inside, a fire lit up in Sheto.
It burned down the furnace in his heart, and blazed like fires of rage to the heavens.
“Eh? What’s with those eyes? He looks like he’s ready to fight?”
“I have the bomb. I’ll kill him once, and once he stops moving, you can take off the rest.”
“Okay.”
“Wait, fine. I’ll take it off.”
Sheto pulled off his bow and threw it behind him. And then he removed his hatchet and dropped it to the ground. Upon seeing this, the Heroes moved in a little closer.
Sheto’s hand then went to his quiver. And while feeling the blade dig a little into his neck, he threw it to the opposite side.
“And that pouch, idiot. I don’t want you throwing any acorns.”
“Also the gloves and shin guard. And the headband.”
He did as he was told until all he had was his clothes.
“The top and bottom as well. During such times, you’re supposed to take everything off.”
“Want to, see me naked, eh?”
“Tsk. Where did you learn a line like that? Unfortunately, you’re not my type.”
Sheto put a hand to his shirt, and in an instant, observed the scene.
There was one thing he understood after fighting Heroes up until now. No matter the battle, there was no way that every single person would pursue their own will alone until the end.
If you wanted to defeat the enemy while protecting your own safety, you had to read the movements of your comrades, the situation, and the enemy.
And so if there was a situation where one person had authority, the others would obey without thinking.
Right now, the puppeteer was controlling the scene. The other Heroes had turned into spectators. Even the person who held the blade at him.
A real professional would not lower their guard like this.
Sheto reached out for the string at his shoulder, and then he threw himself forward.
“What!?”
“Stop!”
“Gaaah!”
While not in the center, the blade still nicked a vein, and blood poured out. But Sheto didn’t stop. He continued to pull the string that went down his back and to his ankle, and then he slammed it against the Hero with the sword.
“Arghhhhhhhh!”
The tips had two short wooden arrowheads attached to it. The ‘thorns’ slashed at his eyes and wrapped around his arms.
“Ahhhh!”
The two strings were supposed to be used for bows, and with the added blessings, were enough to cut through human flesh.
“You bastard!”
The puppeteer jumped back, so as to be out of range of his own weapon. However, Sheto moved forward as if to follow him.
“Haaah!”
He grabbed the snakebite sword and swung it wildly.
“Arrghh!”
The metal pieces dug into the Hero’s arm, and then Sheto’s blessing ran through the weapon mercilessly.
The bones snapped loudly, and as Sheto pulled the whip back, it returned with the boy’s right arm.
“Gaaah! You little shit!”
“Damn it! Everyone, fire!”
The Hero with the greatsword shouted angrily. Sheto could not protect himself with the sword alone. And he had lost his armor.
In the next instant, he lept over to his quiver, and then he pulled out a bow with both hands.
And then he unleashed everything onto the explosive dolls that surrounded him.
“Ahhh!”
“Gyahhh!”
“EEEE!!”
The screams of the Heroes echoed around him, he ignored the one arrow and the light of Frozen Moon Arrow, and swung the snakebite sword as if to cut through the ray of magic light that rained down.
The vibrant flower of light dispersed, and the power of the divine vessel and blessing crushed the magic completely.
“Everyone, get out of the way!”
Shouted a Hero from the groves, as he thrust out his hand.
‘Here comes the sword!’
Sheto’s world grew cold at Salia’s warning.
If you want to live, live. In order to kill everything. His gaze turned towards the puppeteer, whose arm was regenerating.
“Sto-stop! Don’t come any closer!”
The Hero rolled up on the floor. From above, a rain of blades.
There was a dull ringing, and the puppeteer was pierced by numerous arrows and killed.
And then his body dispersed into particles of light.
“One, down.”
While standing in the grove of swords, the unharmed kobold glared back at the Heroes.