This World Needs a Hero

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[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

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Luke muttered, “We were lucky.”

He had been thinking that since about five minutes into the battle against Okultus.

…Yes, they were fortunate.

If their opponent had preserved their strength, their heads would have already been rolling in the snow.

Their opponent were presumed to be of the highest rank among the demons.

A normal fight would have been impossible.

But fortunately, Okultus was almost exhausted.

‘Though I don’t know why, luck was on our side.’

For days, he had maintained his unique ability, the ‘Veil of Concealment,’ without rest.

And that too, in the tumultuous mana-rich north, against a group numbering in the tens.

The consumption of mana was even more severe than usual.

Thanks to that, Okultus’s demonic energy was already depleted by the time the battle began.

‘Moreover, his ability is perfect for countering mine.’

As a demon specialized in concealment, his original combat power was weaker than that of his counterparts.

…That was why Ban and Luke had managed to survive for the past ten minutes.

But sadly, their luck was gradually running out.

“…Urgh.”

A dagger pierced his shoulder.

It felt like hot iron searing through his body.

As soon as he felt the pain, Luke reflexively swung his sword in that direction.

But there was no resistance from the grip.

Luke glanced at his shoulder briefly before staring back at the empty front.

‘The wound is severe….’

It was a strange weapon.

Upon contact with blood, dozens of thorns sprouted from its blade.

Was it Malekia’s way of inflicting pain on his opponents?

Even a slight sense of venom followed, as if it were laced with poison.

If he hadn’t practiced “Cleansing” while learning Felson’s martial arts, his heart would have stopped long ago.

“…Are you okay?”

Ban asked, panting.

His condition was equally disastrous.

After a moment of contemplation, Luke replied.

“No.”

The assertion followed.

“We’re getting overwhelmed.”

He was certain.

This precarious balance would soon collapse.

As the demon continued to regain his demonic energy, the quality and duration of his concealment were increasing.

The moment when Ban completely missed the demon’s presence… would be the end for them.

Luke’s eyes, sensing the end, blazed crimson.

It was because he had activated Ravias’s martial arts.

Woooooo-

As mana flowed backward, his whole body trembled with a mad fervor.

‘…We need to… at least…’

That was the only way his friends could escape.

Luke accelerated his mana.

As the pain dulled, murderous intent wriggled beneath his skin like insects.

…That’s how the boy, using his vitality as kindling, was about to engage in his final battle.

Kwaaaaaah!

An untimely roar instantly drew everyone’s attention.

A brief respite in the battle.

What they saw in their sights was….

“What, what’s that?”

Kalende was thrown back by something, while Leciel stood with a dumbfounded expression in the distance.

Beyond them, a ship was crossing the coast at a terrifying speed.

Luke muttered in confusion.

“…What ship is that?”

Ban received his words.

“It doesn’t seem like just any ship.”

Pishhh-

Steam rose vigorously from the portal where a magical cannon was installed.

It wasn’t just any magical cannon.

It was a top-grade artifact capable of long-range sniping, a military surplus supplied to the army by Glendor after being produced in very limited quantities.

It took a long time to reload, and its unit cost was extremely high, so production had been discontinued, but its destructive power was renowned.

It had been quite a while since Yussi had secretly installed those stocks on her personal ship.

They focused their mana vision on the approaching ship.

“W-who is it?”

“Is it reinforcements?”

The shape of the ship was somewhat malformed.

It seemed optimized only for high speed.

A bow elongated into a sharp angle toward the front.

A hull that drew steep curves.

Sturdy waterlines.

Several large magic engines were attached to the bow, and the masts and sails made of special materials seemed capable of withstanding strong winds generated by magic.

It was a bizarre ship whose cost of construction could not even be estimated.

Anyway… thanks to the overwhelming performance of the personal ship, Yussi was able to arrive in the north one step ahead of the main force.

“Whoa!? Hold on a second.”

The first to exclaim in awe were Evergreen and Karen, whose keen eyesight was that of archers.

“That emblem….”

The pattern on the side of the hull was so familiar.

A flask placed on a pile of gold coins.

Wasn’t that the pattern they had seen countless times during their travels with Rosenstark?

As if they had made a promise, the children chorused together.

“Glendor?”

Then, from beyond the bow, a clamorous shout echoed.

“Hah, who’s firing flares at night like that?”

“What, what?”

“You’re all expelled! Even if the Hero intervenes, it’s futile. Understand?!”

Although their figures were not visible, it was easy to recognize whose voices they were.

The Principal!

The children breathed a sigh of relief.

Right after that, a hoarse voice followed.

“Lucas! Lucas Wellington, are you there?!”

Even Lucas, who was rolling on the ground covered in blood, lifted his head.

“…Father?”

Woouung-

The ship’s bow turned towards the coast.

The children watched that sight with widened eyes.

‘Are they here to pick us up?’

‘The demons from the Demonic Church won’t just sit idly by.’

Sure enough, taking advantage of the confusion caused by the bombardment, Demonic Church officers who had hidden themselves came out stealthily.

As the distance closed, the ship would also come under attack.

‘…They don’t seem to have many troops. Isn’t this risky?’

Moreover, the deck seemed unusually deserted at first glance.

This was probably due to reducing the number of crew members to increase speed.

Four exhausted magicians, who had been creating wind throughout the journey.

Non-combatant sailors.

Six knights hired by the Wellington Ducal family.

And finally, Yussi.

It was a composition somewhat lacking in rescuing the children from the interference of the Demonic Church.

But for some reason, Yussi didn’t hesitate to charge.

…And it was then that Leciel let out a sharp scream.

“Principal! Don’t come closer!”

Behind her.

Kalende, who had recovered from the shock, was raising her hand with a demonic expression.

Despite being defenseless, she looked perfectly fine after taking a hit from the magical cannon.

Her heterochromatic eyes were fixed intently on the ship, unmoving.

‘I’ll take care of those nuisances first.’

…At the same time, Leciel’s eyes were filled with terror.

The ‘Severance’ was unfolding on a wide scale, to the point where it made her doubt her eyes.

Did she gather her strength while waiting for Yussii and the group to come into range?

The blades of Severance were wide and sharp enough to carve up the large ship as if it would still remain.

‘No!!’

Leciel hurriedly summoned her resolve to stop it, but…

Tzuzuzuzuz-

Due to already reaching her limit, her speed was too slow.

“Die!”

Kalende’s hand swung down reluctantly.

Leciel was engulfed by the urge to close her eyes.

The ship and people being cut down at an angle.

The fragments of them falling into the sea passed before her eyes like a hallucination.

But….

Fwoorrrrr-

Clanggg-

A huge ring of light rose into the air, and flames and ice enveloped the ship.

Hwoooong-

With the sudden temperature difference, an abnormally strong wind blew, and…

It was strong enough to push the ship’s hull out of the range of the leader’s attack.

Kwagagagak-

The blades of Severance narrowly grazed the railing and missed.

…It was Kalende’s turn to be stunned.

“…What is this?”

The large ship was moving as agilely as a small dinghy.

Kalende was momentarily dumbfounded.

She forgot that she was standing on an open coast.

Pwoooung-

The portal spewed flames again towards her, now clearly visible.

Full Opening.

Not only Kalende but also Demonic Church officers were showered with fire.

The ship took advantage of the opportunity and continued to move forward at full speed.

As the distance to the coast halved.

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[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

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Yussi muttered curses and revealed herself at the bow.

“You bitch….”

Yussi smoothed out the severed section of the limb.

For some reason, she was riding in her wheelchair without using her prosthetic hands and legs.

Her deep blue eyes trembled fiercely with anger.

“You’ve fully inherited that damned ability.”

Swoosh-

As Yussi took out a pipe from her bosom, a crew member next to her lit it.

The artifact, ‘Alchemy Glove,’ attached to her remaining hand, glowed eerily in the light of the pipe.

Yussi exhaled smoke and slowly raised her hand.

“You lot, just die.”

Woooooong-

Dozens of rings of light fell into the air.

The flames from the pipe served as a catalyst.

The rings of light heated up rapidly, and steam descended like mist.

The children instinctively prepared to run.

Yussi muttered.

“Yeah, run.”

Ruuuuuuush-

.

.

.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

Countless fireballs and flame arrows streaked across the night sky, bombarding the coastline.

“More, more!”

Yussi truly exerted all her strength.

Empty bottles of various illegal drugs and enhancers, which amplified concentration, mana, and alchemical abilities, rolled around her feet, clashing against the wheelchair with a sharp clang.

Thanks to the misuse of several bottles that could have extended her lifespan by at least a few months, she was able to unleash an immensely powerful bombardment for a brief moment, akin to her active duty days.

It was the moment when the children broke free from the encirclement of the Demonic Church.

Kwagagagang-!

Amidst the crossing shadows and lights…

“Let’s go!”

Ban dashed out like lightning, supporting Waldiff and leading the way.

“Evergreen!”

Luke grabbed Evergreen’s wrist and followed behind, while the rest hurriedly followed suit.

During her active duty days, Yussi had been specialized in firepower to the extent that she was known as a mass murderer.

Demons and church members could only start pursuing them a beat later as they dodged or blocked the bombardment.

However, the distance did not seem to close anytime soon.

“Running” was an exercise that the Hero had made the children do every day until they were exhausted.

It wasn’t easy to catch up with the children who were sprinting at full speed.

Thuk-

Wooden planks conjured by Yussi floated one after another on the sea.

As soon as the children stepped on them, the planks disappeared, and some pursuers stumbled and fell into the sea.

“…For Glendor!”

The loyal crewmen sent volleys of bullets and arrows towards them.

After tremendous effort, the nine children and Waldiff safely arrived on deck.

But there was no time to breathe a sigh of relief.

Yussi’s sharp orders continued.

“Move out! Turn the bow!”

The deck turned into chaos.

Faces drenched in sweat and blood, soaked with painful breaths.

With each inhale and exhale, chests heaved more than ten centimeters.

The medical team on board immediately tended to the group.

“Start here, huff, and look, please. The wounds are, huff, deep.”

“Lucas! This damned bastard!”

“Ah, father…”

“Ban! Luke! Please check on them quickly…!”

“Evergreen, huff, where are you injured?”

“Is now the time to ask me where I’m injured? You idiot!”

Leaning against the railing, Luke weakly chuckled.

His hands trembled, and his breaths were shallow.

It was because he had used his body to shield against the incoming projectiles.

Blackened blood oozed slowly from his side due to the poison, and his eyelids trembled irregularly.

“…Do you think this is the first or second time for such an enemy? I won’t die.”

“Luke, Luke…!”

Evergreen panicked and fumbled around Luke’s body.

His hand, which was much larger than hers, shook weakly under her touch.

His once proudly straight back was now bent.

His chest felt as if it were burning and hot.

It was undoubtedly not due to inadequate breathing.

“Move aside! We’ll provide emergency treatment!”

Medical personnel approached with bandages and various medications, surrounding Luke.

As the boy’s figure was obscured from view, Evergreen slumped to the ground.

“Luke….”

It was then that someone handed Evergreen the bow that had been lying on the ground.

“…Ban?”

The boy’s brown eyes were also trembling mercilessly.

But he deliberately didn’t look towards Luke, instead pursing his lips.

“It’s not over yet.”

“…What?”

“You’re needed here.”

Flutter-

Only then did Evergreen realize that a strange noise was echoing around them.

A type of sound she had never heard in her lifetime.

It sounded like the flapping of a bird’s wings amplified hundreds of times.

Casually turning her gaze towards the coastline, she glimpsed… something gliding across the surface of the water, as large as the ship they were on.

“…Ah.”

Kwaaaaaaaang!

The cry of a Myrmat pierced their ears.

* * *

In the cold silence of the Arctic, an iceberg towered majestically.

Well, to call it an iceberg was rather ambiguous.

It was more appropriate to call it an island.

The upper part was not pointed but flat, and it was so vast that it could be called a snowy plain.

The airspace of the sanctuary.

Upon arrival, the Hero circled it once before landing.

“…Cuculli.”

A familiar silhouette was running towards the summit of the mountain.

There was no hesitation in her steps towards baptism.

…The uniqueness was momentary.

Regret and sorrow stabbed the Hero like sharp daggers.

But unfortunately, he didn’t have time to be consumed by such emotions.

There was no time to bid farewell to his disciple upon approaching.

The horizon beyond the sanctuary.

Something was descending upon the current from upstream like a shadow.

‘…Is it the demon army prepared for the northern expedition?’

It was rapidly approaching, and if left unchecked, it seemed likely that the sanctuary would be invaded before Cuculli finished his baptism.

It was an earlier arrival than expected.

‘How?’

With narrowed eyes, the Hero changed direction and prepared to meet the invaders on the opposite side of the sanctuary.

▼

Accessing the void of Valber.

▲

Donning the robe of zero, holding the Black Hope.

Valber’s 17 weapons were placed on the floor for ease of use.

At that moment, the demon army also seemed to have discovered the sanctuary and was approaching faster.

As the distance closed… the Hero’s doubts about the early arrival of the demon army naturally dissipated.

He hesitated for a moment before uttering a single word.

“That’s… a giant.”

The subordinates sent by Malekia for the complete destruction of the North were about to land.

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[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

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